>> america, we cannot turn back. not with so much work to be done. >> this is cnn. tonight, president obama bets his likability against the struggling economy. >> the pressure is on for specifics about where he'll take the country and his top priorities for a second term. >> he rose from childhood struggles to the highest office in the land. >> congratulations, mr. president. >> my name is barack obama and i'm in the oval office so i've got to be lucky. >> he made history. >> change has come to america. >> and then faced the hard realities of governing. >> that's one thing you learn as president of the united states. you get called in to account. >> now, he's in an urgent fight to finish what he started. >> we will remind the world why this is the greatest nation on earth. >> in charlotte tonight, barack obama officially accepts the challenge of winning his second term and defends his

administration against republican attacks. >> it is not his words that people have to listen to, it is his action and his record. >> i've got one piece of advice for you about the romney/ryan game plan. punt it away. >> joe biden also accepts his nomination tonight. >> we must continue to move forward. >> a week after mitt romney's convention in tampa, democrats are trying to get the last word. >> all of a sudden, their heart was bleeding for the middle class, whoa. >> now, cnn turn, the spotlight on one of the biggest platforms in american politics. this is the democratic national convention. this is barack obama and joe biden's night. >> i believed in you. i bet on you. i'll make that bet any day of the week. that bet is paying off for america. >> this is america's choice.

we'd like to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world to this the democratic national convention in charlotte, north carolina. president obama is telling supporters he's looking forward to giving his acceptance speech tonight, laying out his vision for the future. a senior campaign official tells cnn tonight's speech will be, quote, bigger than just drawing contrasts between the president and mitt romney. >> before the president steps on to the podium, vice president joe biden accepts his nomination and describes what working with the president is like. and in what is likely to be a very moving moment, former congresswoman gabrielle giffords will lead the pledge of allegiance tonight. as she recovering from a bullet to the head from a shooting of course last year. tonight's procession was moved indoors.

convention planners were worried, they said, about the weather. doesn't appear to be a problem right now. it was raining on and off throughout the day today. as we gear up for tonight's big speech, let's bring in our chief national correspondent john king. >> four years a the president used that big convention speech as a springboard to this, a big victory in the election and a changed map of u.s. presidential politics. as he speaks tonight, here's the challenge. it's a different climate. a much tougher map. still, advantage obama. all nine of our tossup states, states he carried four years ago, anderson. >> saving some of the most show-stopping performances for tonight. wolf blitzer is closer to the action on the floor. wolf, take it away. >> these delegates, anderson, are getting ready to see some big-name political stars like caroline kennedy. also some hollywood stars like scarlett johansson and our own cnn correspondents as well are joining us. brianna keilar. john berman. kate boulden. they are all down on this arena

floor. also our candy crowley is stationed above the podium where the president and vice president will give big speeches tonight. >> we've heard what's previously been reported. the president wanting to lay out some specific goals. some promises, if you will. but as someone once said, high expectations are a heavy burden. you'll also hear the president according to some excerpts we've got try to tamp down those expectations that really were seen for him over the past four years. he'll say, i won't pretend the path i'm offering is quick or easy. you didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. and the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have build up over decades. it will require common effort, shared responsibility and the kind of bold persistent experimentation that franklin roosevelt pursued during the only crisis worse than that one. by the way, the president will

add, those of us who carry on his party's legacy should remember that not every problem can be remedied with another government program or dictate from washington. so at once saying this is going to take a while, which previous speakers have said, in particular, bill clinton. but also addressing what's been one of the republican's big criticisms of this gathering. and that is that it is very focused on government solutions and the government as the one entity that can help what ails america. wolf. >> candy, thanks. bill clinton last night described president obama as someone in his words who's cool on the outside but who burns for america on the inside. during an exclusive interview for her documentary, "obama revealed," our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin spoke with the president, asked him about that coolness that we all know, at least on the outside. >> it's a consistent description of the president. sometimes it's cool as a positive, as in cool under fire. but sometimes it canning a

negative, as in cool or aloof. a lot of people describe you as cool. that cuts both ways. fair description? >> you know, it's interesting. people who know me well and people on the campaign trail, i mean, you've campaigned with me, i don't think they've described me that way. i am in a lot of ways an ext extrovert when it comes to folks outside the beltway, and love campaigning and really get energized from it. i think what is true is that when i'm making decisions, i try to pull back a little bit and take the long view it and not get caught up in the emotions of the moment. i think that's been helpful on tough decisions that we've had to make.

>> that's how it's helped. how has it hurt? >> i'm not sure it's hurt except maybe for some of my relations i think inside the beltway here in washington. i think that you know sometimes michelle and i not doing the circuit and going out to dinners and with folks is perceived with us being cool. it really has more to do with us being parents. we need to make sure we're good parents and we're there for our kids. >> now, that's a conversation we can have another time, whether you can pull back on doing outreach to members of congress as a president because you're a parent. but the larger challenge for him tonight is to not be that cool no drama obama but to reconnect to all those supporters who felt that passion for him and it's diminished over time. he can't relate that fire. he's not going to electrify in

the same way. but he has to find a balance. >> he's going to certainly try. that's very important. jessica, thanks very much. >> let's check in with our panel. david gergen, gloria borger, john king. gloria, you were saying? >> it's interesting to hear president obama talk about his aloofness because i also think with mitt romney you have kind of the same issue. people say about mitt romney when you meet him one on one and when you're with him one on one, he can be warmer than people say president obama is. but when mitt romney's in front of a crowd, he gets sometimes like a deer in the headlights and he's not comfortable in front of a crowd and self-edits. whereas president obama, he basically said that to jessica, he gets the energy from the crowd and seems to love it. so you have two presidential candidates who are aloof, i would say, but in very different ways. >> it's a different challenge tonight though for this president. he's a known entity for four years. if people find him aloof, they're unlikely to change their

mind in this speech. so it's a very interesting challenge for an incumbent president. a different role for him than four years ago. i was talking to a democratic pollster today. he said there's a lot of goals. you could sum it up in one question. give people a good answer to the question, why and how will you life be better with a second term? >> we're moments away from joe biden. some big stars are here. we'll hear from actress ashley judd and the foo fighters perform live. we'll be right back. great shot.

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vice president, mrs. biden, listening to their son place his nomination for vice presidential nominee. >> we have miles to go before we sleep but barack obama and joe biden are leading the way forward. four years ago, because i was going to iraq, i asked you to be there for my dad. and you were. and for last four years, i can say with certainty he has been there for us. [ applause ] in moments both public and private, he's the father i've always known, the grandfather my

children love and adore, and the vice president our nation needs. so tonight, mr. chairman, it's my great honor to place into nomination for the office of vice president of the united states, my father, my hero, joe biden. i move to suspend the rules and nomination by acclamation joe bid biden. as a democratic vice presidential candidate. [ applause ] >> the son of joe biden saying he wants to suspend the former rules, the formal roll call, and nominate joe biden. >> i know joe must be emotional right now. when your son calls you a hero,

you got to feel it in the heart. we have a motion to suspend the rules and nominate joe biden by acclamation as a democratic party's vice presidential candidate. is there a second? all in favor of the motion say aye. all opposed. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. pursuant to the convention rules, joe biden has been invited to make an acceptance speech. ♪ celebrate good times come on ♪ there's a party going on right here ♪ ♪ a celebration ♪ to last for the year ♪ bring your good times ♪ and your laughter too >> clearly very moved joe biden. >> very emotional guy.

nobody ever called him too cool or too aloof. lost his mom in a tragic accident. he took the train home to wilmington every single night to be with beau and his brother hunter. it's such an emotional time to see him there. with his son, the attorney general. and a major in the reserves to nominate him. very emotional. >> he gets a lot of flak for ad-libbing on the stump. but as a campaigner, ari fleisher, what is he like, effective? >> you look at this as a race for the undecided voters, i don't think he's determinative. i don't think the vice presidential candidates are going to be what counts in this race. races will come down to the two presidential candidates. on the margin, is he, i don't really think so. i just don't think it makes a big difference. >> i have to tell you, i think the ryan selection changed mitt

romney's fortune. he was drifting. he was about to lose this race. he turned his position around. now, in the end, it may not matter that much, but in the middle of this election campaign -- >> ryan does help him in wisconsin. i think pennsylvania's been in reach all along. >> candy crowley has the house democratic leader nancy pelosi. candy. >> thanks, anderson. i am here with the house democratic leader, the leader of the democrats in the house. you were one speak. so i want to take us off the presidential message of the night and just ask you whether you think there is any chance at all that democrats could take over the house again and perhaps make you speaker. >> well, it's not about making me speaker. it's about winning the house for the american people. and with barack obama at the head of the ticket and joe biden on the ticket, we believe that we have an excellent chance. in fact, we're fighting very hard to win in the drive for 25, to win 25 seats, to take back

the house. >> one of the things is we know there are some house members, some senators and some governors, obviously, who didn't come here, and in part some of them are worried that having president obama on the top of the ticket isn't great in their particular areas. >> that isn't so for our house members. i can't speak beyond that. they're home, campaigning. in a year when your district is new in redistricting, many members who are in races want to get to know their districts. what a better way than watch president obama deliver his acceptance speech from home with their constituents. >> this is your 17th convention -- 13th, sorry. let me ask you, what is the one thing you want to hear president obama say tonight? >> what he has been saying. that this is a very clear choice. we can choose a path to go forward that he is suggesting or a path to take us back.

it's the clearest choice we've had in a very long time in elections. and that -- how he spells that out i think is important not just for the election but for the future of our country. i know he'll do a fabulous job tonight. >> congresswoman nancy pelosi, head of the house democrats, looking, hoping maybe to have it be a majority party again come november. back to you, anderson. >> candy, thanks very much. a new generation of the kennedy family obviously is now getting involved in politics. we're going to be joined tonight by caroline kennedy. in a cnn exclusive, her son jack joining us as well. also former congresswoman gabrielle giffords who survived an assassination attempt is here to lead tonight's pledge of allegiance.

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as we await the foo fighters, let's go to brianna keilar on the floor. brianna. >> hi there, wolf. i'm standing here with an actress i'm sure you recognize, america ferrera. you're involved with voter latino, specifically a program there called america for america, trying to mobilize youth and latino voters. how do you think president obama can harness the latino vote? >> i think latinos care about the issues that all americans care about. we care about health care, education. we care about jobs. we care about the economy. i think that it's very obvious at the moment that the latino community is being noticed and heard. and there are 22 million latino americans eligible to vote in this election. and with the president's deferred action policy that he passed earlier this year, it's obvious we are gaining in our

wins. >> talk about that. how big of a deal was that -- actually, we're going to listen to the foo fighters. they're getting started here on the stage at the democratic convention. >> it's an honor to be here. i think this song makes perfect sense here tonight. ♪ too alarming now to talk about ♪ ♪ take your pictures down and shake it out ♪ ♪ truth or consequence say it aloud ♪ ♪ use that evidence race it around ♪ ♪ there goes my hero watch him as he goes ♪

♪ there goes my hero he's ordinary ♪ ♪ don't the best of them bleed it out ♪ ♪ while the rest of them peter out ♪ ♪ truth or consequence say it aloud ♪ ♪ use that evidence race it around ♪ ♪ there goes my hero

watch him as he goes ♪ ♪ there goes my hero he's ordinary ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ kudos my hero leaving all the best ♪ ♪ you know my hero the one that's on ♪ ♪ there goes my hero watch him as he goes ♪ ♪ there goes my hero he's ordinary ♪ ♪ there goes my hero

watch him as he goes ♪ ♪ there goes my hero he's ordinary ♪ [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ a million miles away ♪ you're sitting in the

distance ♪ ♪ to whom it may concern ♪ i think i've lost my way ♪ getting good at starting over ♪ ♪ every time that i return ♪ i'm learning to walk again ♪ i believe i've waited long enough ♪ ♪ when the war began ♪ learning to talk again ♪ can't you see i've waited long enough ♪ ♪

♪ do you remember the days ♪ we built these paper mountains ♪ ♪ and sat and watched them burn ♪ ♪ i think i found my place ♪ can't you feel it growing stronger ♪ ♪ little conquerors ♪ i'm learning to walk again ♪ i believe i've waited long enough ♪ ♪ where do i begin ♪ i'm learning to talk again ♪ can't you see i've waited long enough ♪ ♪ where do i begin ♪ now [ cheers and applause ]

♪ for the very first time ♪ don't you pay no mind ♪ set me free again ♪ you keep alive ♪ a moment at a time ♪ but still inside ♪ a whisper to a liar ♪ to sacrifice ♪ but knowing to survive ♪ the first decline ♪ another state of mind ♪ i'm on my knees ♪ i'm praying for a sign ♪ forever ♪ whenever ♪ i never wanna die ♪ i never wanna die ♪ i never wanna die ♪ i'm on my knees i never wanna die ♪ ♪ i'm dancin' on my grave ♪ i'm runnin' through the fire ♪ forever, whatever ♪ i never wanna die snoits i never wanna leave ♪ ♪ i never say good-bye

♪ whoa whoa forever whatever ♪ learning to walk again ♪ i believe i've waited long enough ♪ ♪ where do i begin ♪ i'm learn to talk again ♪ can't you see i've waited long enough ♪ ♪ where do i begin ♪ i'm learning to walk again ♪ i believe i've waited long enough ♪ ♪ i'm learning to talk again ♪ can't you see i've waited long enough ♪

[ cheers and applause ] >> thank you very much! >> wow. foo fighters here at the democratic national con convention. doesn't get any better than that. piers morgan is listening. he's got a special guest, ashley judd. that was amazing, piers. go ahead. >> thanks, wolf. i'm here with ashley judd. you were just showing us some grooves there, ashley. >> i love to dance. it's a great day to be a democrat. >> you were also caught on camera with mary j. blige earlier. >> that's kind of one of the things that haunts my dreams. i'm just getting down and there's actually a secret camera. at least it was with ambassador hunt. you know what it looks like in

our hotel room in our night gowns. >> you're actually a tennessee delegate. on your hand you have the word "opportunity." what's that all about? >> one of the things -- i love the speeches. i think all of them have been very powerful and effective in their own way, from tammy duckworth, multigenerations of people in service. mayor castro's really struck out to me. because he kept repeating this refrain. opportunity breathes prosperity. opportunity breathes po s prosp. i do believe we build our economy from the middle class out and we don't slam the door on poor people coming up behind us. we give them the opportunity to work their way into our economy. and so i talk a lot about health and obama care. which i use in a positive way. not derisively. the numbers in tennessee are already good for children who can't be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. a lot of it boils down to opportunity. i pledge allegiance to my flag in the spirit of opportunity. >> how excited were you last

night when bill clinton turned on his stuff? >> president clinton gave us a master class in civics, in history, and the most important part was point by point he allucidated what president obama's platform was and contrasted it with the mitt romney platform. facts with gravity and humor. it was vintage clinton. >> the only problem is if you're barack obama and you're listening to bill clinton last night, you must be thinking, how the hell do i follow that. now, you're a performer what do you do? >> all he has to do is be himself. he is a good man and he is a great president. i loved mr. obama's talk as well. again, just be herself. she shared three generations of personal narrative. in the story. and here's the american dream. and every point was so salient. and relevant to this election.

they're all special in their own way. he's going to kill it. he's going to knock it out. his videos get standing ovations in this room. it's going to be great. >> that is true. finally, apparently you're a friend of clint eastwood's, is that right? >> mr. eastwood and i know one another from hanging around hollywood. >> be honest, come on, the empty chair, which couch were you hiding behind? >> i was in an rv in iowa campaigning for my candidate so i was with women who were saying things like, i am living proof that a woman conceives in rape. and i'm terrified of medicare becoming voucherized because of what will happen to my elderly parents. so that's what i was doing. >> very diplomatic. ashley, lovely to meet you. >> if the foo fighters aren't your thing, maybe you should have listened to the james taylor piece earlier. >> i don't mind the foo fighters. i'm more of a mary j. blige man myself. >> she was wonderful. that song is, you know, we're in it together. >> we certainly are. wolf, to you. >> i like the foo fighters.

piers, thanks. we're standing by. the pledge of allegiance, the former congresswoman giffords is going to do that. this will be an emotional moment here. also, hollywood's come here to charlotte as well. the delegates, they are now getting ready to hear from the actress scarlett johansson. and a turncoat republican is here to explain why he's now supporting president obama. [ male announcer ] whether it's kevin's smartphone... mom's smartphone... dad's tablet... or lauren's smartphone... at&t has a plan built to help make families' lives easier. introducing at&t mobile share.

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we're back at the democratic national convention. congresswoman giffords will be giving the pledge of allegiance

shortly. we'll of course bring that to you live. right now, south carolina democratic congressman jim clyburn is speaking. let's listen in. >> 20 million jobs. and we did it with, that's right, every republican in the congress cursing the darkness. when president obama was sworn into office, our economy was losing over 700,000 jobs per month. affordable quality care for all americans was an unfulfilled century old pursuit. bin laden was plotting attacks while our troops were bogged down in iraq. so president obama went to work lighting candles. he promised to bring osama bin laden to justice. done. [ applause ] he promised to end the war in iraq.

done. he promised to make membership in al qaeda a high-risk occupation and begin winding down the war in afghanistan. done. and he championed a veterans job corps to put our returning veterans back to work. president obama's actions saved jobs throughout the automobile industry. 1.million jobs overall. now ford and chrysler are making record profits again. and general motors is regaining its position as number one. and president obama's courage made affordable accessible quality health care a right, not a privilege. we should not run from the term

obama care. i am glad obama cares. because obama cares, children born with diabetes can no longer be denied coverage on their parent's insurance policies. because obama cares, people with catastrophic illnesses can no longer be dropped from coverage when they get sick. families will no longer have their benefits capped. this preacher's kid is told by romans 13:12, "the night is far spent. the day is at hand. let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." let us go from this place, lighting candles all across this great country, and re-elect president barack obama and vice president joe biden so they can continue lighting candles and moving this country forward.

>> a number of well-known names. not from the political world. celebrities who are in the hall tonight. two will be addressing this convention in just a moment. scarlett johansson and actress kerry washington. >> i am so grateful to be here with you tonight. i'm here not just as an actress. but as a woman, an african-american, a granddaughter of immigrants who came through ellis island. a person who could not have afforded college without the help of student loans. and as one of millions of

volunteers working to re-elect president obama. [ applause ] so many people have struggled so that you and i, all of us, could have a voice in this great democracy and live up to those first three words of our constitution, "we the people." i love that phrase. i really do. so much because throughout our country's history we've expanded the meaning of that phrase to include more and more of us. and that's what it means to move forward. and that is what this election is about. and it's why we cannot sit on the sidelines. look, i get it, right. whether it's school, work, family. we've all got a lot on our minds. people say -- we've all heard people say, i'm just too busy to

think about politics. but here's the thing. you may not be thinking about politic, but politics is thinking about you. [ applause ] today, there are -- >> kerry washington addressing the convention. coming up, scarlett johansson and the pledge of allegiance from congresswoman giffords.

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my father barely made enough to get by. we moved every year and we finally settled in a housing development for lower middle income families. we went to public schools. and depended on programs for school transport and lunches, as did most of my friends. my girlfriends from high school to this day still depend on planned parenthood and often medicaid for important health care services. in 2008, less than half of all eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 voted. less than half. young america, why are we only speaking with half our voice when so many issues at stake here directly affect us? [ applause ] you know who i am voting for. i'm not going to tell you who to vote for. i'm here to ask you to commit to

vote. it's never been easier than now. you can go to commit.barackbarack obama.com to find information you need. it's that easy. earlier this week, chelsea clinton reminded us that we are the generation who feel our voices haven't been heard. so vote so that your voice is heard. [ applause ] over the last two days, we've been reminded of something that perhaps we forgot. what has been accomplished. and what is at stake. whether we can get health care, afford college, be guaranteed equal pay. all of these things are at great, great risk. and that's why i'm here today. to use whatever attention i'm fortunate enough to receive to shed the spotlight on what's at stake for all of us.

[ applause ] you know, when i was a little girl, my mother, she's a registered democrat -- [ applause ] she would take me into the polling booth and tell me which buttons to press and when to pull the lever. is that even legal? i don't know. i don't think so. anyway, i remember that excitement i felt in that secret box. and i felt like my mom's vote wasn't just about the candidate, it was about our family and all the families in our community. just like ours. this last election, i finally got to punch those buttons for real, for me! man, i was so excited. i wore my "i voted" pin the whole day. it was my finest accessory. and this year, on november 6th, i am filled with that same pride, that same enthusiasm. to press the button. to re-elect president barack

obama! [ applause ] so get out there, exercise your right to vote! thank you! [ applause ] >> waiting for gabrielle giffords for the pledge of allegiance. john king has a special guest, massachusetts governor deval patrick. >> welcome. you gave a very tough speech ripping governor romney's record as governor of massachusetts, the job you now hold. i want to focus on your friend, the president's challenge tonight. i want to pull out this graphic. take a look at this. let me find it. what is the president's biggest challenge tonight? he's an incumbent now. you've been a first term. you've run for president again. what is the biggest challenge? he can't be hope and change. he has to tell the american people don't change tonight. >> frankly, it's always about hope and almost always about change in this country. that's the nature of our character. i think this president will and

ought to talk about his record and the progress he's made toward the change he was talking about four years ago and the agenda for the next four years. again, we're a forward-looking country. we're a forward-looking people. i think we tend to an optimistic agenda. this president has one. mitt romney does not. >> when he closed his convention four years ago, these word clouds, funny things we do with technology, look at the word that comes out the biggest. >> you love this. >> the biggest word was "promise." saying i'll create 1 million manufacturing jobs by 2016. i'll create new natural gas jobs. i'll cut the cost of college in the next ten years. the republicans are saying you promised to cut the deficit in half. you promised to change washington. how much is it battle scarred as an incumbent to say, trust me, i think what the president is saying is more than trust me, he's saying, look, this is the horizon to which i want to steer

this country. i need you, all of you, to be engaged in that. not just election time but every day. this is the president, remember, who has added 4.5 million jobs in the last 29 months. more in that time than george w. bush did in '08. if you consider, in particular, the kind of economic and political head winds he's faced, it's extraordinary. i think what we'll see tonight is a new resolve from this president. a clarity of mission. and a call to common cause. that's exactly what i feel this country needs. >> and yet are you better off is a big question. president clinton took on last night -- >> he did a great job too. >> as you know this race wit be settled in six battleground states. colorado, unemployment's up. iowa, down a little bit. florida, pretty static. what is your sense of the electoral map for the president? he expanded it last time. it's not a big democratic year this time. how does he convince people things are worse, when it comes to the unemployment rate, to

look beyond that? >> when i ran for e re-election in massachusetts, it was 2010 and we were in very, very difficult economic straights. and you couldn't say we had recovered. but we could certainly say we had -- we were recovering. and that we were on a course to a better day. and that was because of choices that we had mace. and i think that's where this president is and that's where this country is nationally. we are making progress. no doubt about that. we have to stop acting like we're not better off than we were when the president took office. but there's no point in seeking the second term if you don't feel you have work yet to do. >> the most striking part of your speech was when you told democrats who aren't here, maybe not supporting the president, to get a backbone. interesting message from governor deval patrick. governor, thank you. >> we are waiting congresswoman gabrielle giffords for the pledge. let's go down to our reporter with the delegation, eager to

see their congresswoman. john. >> these are her friends. these are her supporters. i've been talking to people here who know her well. they've been saying givefords has been itching to come to this convention. she's also been nervous. she is heavy into her rehabilitation, both physical and also for her speech. she wanted to make sure it was the right thing to do here. the pledge of aleelegiance she believes is the perfect opportunity. so gabrielle giffords so excited for this chance and the people here in the arizona delegation, who are dancing quite well, i might add, they are bursting with pride. anderson. >> all right, no doubt, about that, gloria. it will clearly be an emotional moment for many in this hall. >> oh, sure, gabby giffords is sort of become a symbol in many ways not only to the democratic party, i must say, but to the country for somebody who was -- and still is, bipartisan in nature. a great fortitude. a great survivor.

somebody just that people respect and admire. continue to do so. and when she was a member of congress, this is a woman that was respected on both sides of the aisle. i mean, close to john boehner. worked with john boehner. and worked with republicans always. >> i was turning around to try to see whether they were cheering and they were cheering a video of a man dancing. >> it's a dance hall out there. >> a dance hall, yes. >> watching the difference between the republican convention and this convention, this convention is juiced on energy. that's going to give a bigger boost when the president speaks. he's so emotional and he connects with people. you had the governors talking policy talk. more wonkish. this is more about people. more about barack obama and belief in barack obama. >> congresswoman gabrielle giffords has just been introduced by debbie wasserman schultz. let's watch.

[ applause ] [ crowd shouting "gabb"gabby" ] >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god,

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [ cheers and applause ] >> an emotional moment for many in this hall, watching congresswoman gabrielle giffords. her determination not just to walk on her own accord out to the center of the stage and stand in front of the american flag. her determination to speak the

words, the pledge of allegiance. john berman is down with the arizona delegation. >> it was explosive, anderson, there were people here shouting, gabby, we love you. i saw cheers, high fives. fired up and ready to go. gabrielle giffords got this arizona delegation really up off their feet right now. i really can't say it better. they're obviously very energized. a very meaningful moment for her friends and supporters here. >> if you're just joining us at the top of the hour, you're watching the democratic national convention. folks standing up, chanting, fired up, ready to go. they just watched congresswoman giffords giving the pledge of allegiance. here comes caroline kennedy, another very popular part of the

democratic party. let's listen in. >> it's an honor to join you tonight for the most important reason i can imagine. to make sure that barack obama is re-elected president of the united states. [ applause ] four years ago, i was inspired by the way senator obama had lived his life. fighting for jobs. giving hope to the hopeless and working day in and day out for the america he believes in. i was inspired by barack obama's vision for america. and an america where we look out for one another. where we take responsibility for our sisters and brothers. and, most of all, for our children. back then, i was inspired by the promise of barack obama's presidency. today, i'm inspired by his record. [ applause ] over the past four years, we have had a president who has

committed himself and his administration to the values that made america great. economic fairness. equal opportunity. and the belief that if each of us gives back to this country we love, and all of us work together, there is no challenge we cannot overcome. [ applause ] those are the ideals that my father and my uncles fought for. those are the ideals i believe in. and this election is about whether we will advance those ideals or let them be swept away. like my father's election in 1960, this is one of those elections where the future of our country is at stake. and women and children have the most on the line. the president has been a champion for women's rights. the first bill he signed was to make sure women can fight for

equal pay for equal work. his commitment to women is about even more than economic rights. it's about health care. reproductive rights. and our ability to make our own decisions about ourselves, our families and our future. when it comes to what's best for women, there is only one candidate in this race who is on our side. barack obama. as a catholic woman, i take reproductive health seriously. and today it is under attack. this year alone, more than a dozen states have passed more than 40 restrictions on women's access to reproductive health care. that's not the kind of future i want for my daughters or your daughters. now isn't the time to roll back the rights we were winning when my father was president. now is the time to move this

country forward. [ applause [ applause ] president obama has shown the same commitment when it comes to our children. he has put our ideals into action for the next generation. he has inspired them to get involved. he has listened to their ideas. and he has committed us all to building a better future for them. he's challenged states to raise standards for teaching and learn and almost all of them have. he has fought for early childhood education. putting outstanding teachers in every classroom. and making college accessible to all young dreamers. i know barack obama will fight for women and children and all americans because he has proven it. he has the quality my father most admired in public life, courage.

despite critics who said it wasn't good politics, president obama listened to my lunch uncly and staked his presidency on making health care accessible to all americans. [ applause ] despite an opponent who wanted to let detroit go bankrupt, this president saved the auto industry and now it's coming back strong. he not only demonstrated the courage to oppose the war in iraq, as president, he showed the determination to bring our troops back home. barack obama is the kind of leader my father wrote about in "profiles in courage." he doesn't just do what's easy. he does what's hard. he does what's right.

my father couldn't run for a second term. it was left to his brothers, our family and the generation they inspired to fight for the america he believed in. now it's up to a new generation. our children's generation. to carry america forward. so let me say to the young and the young at heart, barack obama is only president because you worked for him, because you believed in him. because you convinced your parents to vote for him. young people have always led america towards a brighter future. it happened in 1960. it happened in 2008. and if you show the same spirit in this election as you did in the last, i know that we'll make history again on november 6th. thank you.

>> caroline kennedy here at the democratic national convention. we very seldom here from members of the president's immediate family but our own piers morgan is standing by with president obama's half-sister. stand by for that. also, a former republican is going to explain why he's supporting president obama this year. and vice president joe biden's getting ready to deliver his acceptance speech. much more coming up. all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems...

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welcome back to the democratic national convention.

our candy crowley is standing by with caroline kennedy and her son jack schlossberg. >> i think it's jack's first appearance on our air so thank you for joining us. why don't i start with you. because i know you were -- your mom said at the time she endorsed president obama four years ago, that you were part of her inspiration for that. what drew you to barack obama? >> well in 2008, everyone was so excited and it was great to be able to talk to my mom and my uncle teddy and my sisters and sort of talk about politics over three generations. and i was really inspired, as my mom just said, about the promise senator obama made to us. now i'm inspired by what he's done so far. and, yeah, that's the reason. >> when we are looking at the polling now, what we're seeing is young people in particular is a lot less enthused this time around about voting, in particular for president obama, although overwhelmingly they stale favor him. what went wrong do you think?

>> i don't think -- you know, it's been a tough four years economically. people have had a really hard time. i think now we're really going to see that people are deeply committed to president obama, especially young people. because i think when they sit down and think about it, they know he's the one with the plan for the future, for their future. i think that's going to change. i think those polls are going to change. >> it's going to be hard to -- there's like about a 20-point gap between those who say they're definitely going to vote and then young people who say they're definitely going to vote this time around. i know you've written a couple of articles for our dotcom. what is your best pitch there? i think we heard your mom out here in her speech. why do you think it is? a lot of people think it is the unemployment rate among young folk, 18 to 24, about 17%. >> i think young people have a lot to thank president obama for. i think he's been an incredible ally to us in washington. whether it's pushing for the dream act. whether it's, you know, coming out in support of gay marriage, an issue that's important to my

generation, or -- and the affordable care act. all of us are able to stay on our parent's plan till we're 26. i think a lot of people are going to start to get excited. we're really going to kick this off. you'll see a lot of people at the polls. >> it's interesting, you're saying the social issues in some ways sort of drive out the vote. let me ask, would you like jack to have a career in politics? >> well, jack's great, and i know whatever he does, he'll do it with all his heart so whatever that is, i would be fully behind it. >> so mom wouldn't stand in the way? >> well, he's got to finish college so why don't we come back and talk about that later. >> okay, let me try with jack here. you're a sophomore at yale. i should ask you what's wrong with harvard but okay. would you think for running? does politics interests you? >> politics definitely interests me. i'm most interested in public service. i haven't even picked what classes i'm taking this semester yet so i'm not thinking about a

political career right now. >> thinking about getting through yale. >> yes. >> i have to ask you about the tribute to uncle teddy, your great-uncle and your godfather. any dry eyes in the room you were in? >> no, that was so wonderful. it was great to feel his presence here. i think everybody shared that feeling. >> teddy showed up for every first communion, thanksgiving, and it was so typical of him to show up one last time here, which was great. >> thanks for spending some time with us. back to you -- >> can't wait to see you on the debate. >> thanks. anderson. >> candy, thanks very much. our piers morgan is standing by with president obama's half-sister. piers. >> yes, thanks, anderson. i'm with maya soetoro-ng. how are you? >> i'm well, thank you. >> you must know all the secrets of this speech. what will we get from your brother barack tonight? >> i prefer to be surprised so i have not asked any questions. but of course i know that he's going to lay out the next four

years. and he's going to do so assertively and elegantly and i'm very excited for the speech. >> although he's still more popular with women than mitt romney, the latest poll says he's beginning to lose a bit of appeal with women, your brother. so what are you going to say to him to get things back on track with your gender? >> i think that women will come around. i think they have to. and i think that he is an amazing president for women in terms of making sure that, you know, women's health issues are taken care of, representation. and honestly everything that he does, he does for his girls and it's a very intimate engagement with women's issues. he has me, he has michelle, he has michelle's mom. he was raised by a mother. and a very fierce grandmother. he will be there for women. i have to believe that women will see this, understand it and go in hoards.

>> president clinton said there are reasons to vote for barack obama. some of the rather key ones is because he chose michelle as his wife. >> that was very sensible i think, yes. no, i think that she is a perfect partner for him. she is very strong. she's sort of balances, healthy, and practical firmness with gentleness and nurturing and she's a terrific mother and that is enormously important. >> you know barack better than most people. what will he be feeling? a lot of pressure? does he get nervous? >> i don't think he's nervous. i think he's very prepared. i think the speech is going to be great. and i think, you know, he's probably stretching his long limbs and excited to address the crowd. >> better than bill clinton's? that's the key question. >> i think he'll be different.

everyone serves their purpose. michelle was about storytelling. about helping us to kind of frame the campaign issues and deeply, you know, loving intimate ways and bill clinton was about gaining perspective. on the last four years. and i think my brother is going to be about looking ahead. >> i think the crowd rather liked what you've just been saying. it's all about you. lovely to see you again. >> lovely to see you. >> best of luck tonight. >> exciting, exciting. >> it definitely is. >> joe biden's getting ready to accept his nomination for another term as vice president to describe what it's like working up close with president obama. we'll be right back.

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we're waiting to hear from montana governor brian schweitzer. the former governor charlie crist. but right now, actress eva lo longor longoria. >> like a lot of you, i did whatever it took, and four years later, i got my degree. but more importantly, i got a key to american opportunity. because that's who we are. a nation that rewards ambition with opportunity. where hard work can lead to success no matter where you start. as i traveled the country for the president, i see americans of every background fighting to succeed. they're optimistic. they're ambitious. they're hard working. but they also want to know what their hard work will pay off. and we're lucky that our

president understands the value of american opportunity because he's lived it. [ applause ] and he's fighting to help others achieve it. he's fighting to make college more affordable. he's cut taxes for every working american. he's helping small businesses get loans and has cut their taxes 18 times. 18 times. and that's important. i'll tell you why. because small businesses create two out of every three new jobs in america. it's the suburban dad who realizes his neighborhood needs a dry-cleaner. it's the latino nurse whose block needs a health clinic and she's the one who's going to open it. or it's the high school sophomore who's building facebook's competitor. they are the entrepreneurs driving the american economy. not mitt romney's outsourcing pioneers. [ applause ]

mitt romney would raise taxes on middle class families to cut his own, and mine. and that's not who we are as a nation. and let me tell you why. because the eva longoria who worked at wenwendy's flipping burger, she needed a tax break. the eva longoria who works on movie sets does not. [ applause ] president obama, he is fighting for changes that grow the economy from the middle out and help all americans succeed. jobs, education, health reform. the dream act. equal pay for women. president obama's moving us forward with opportunity today for prosperity tomorrow. mitt romney wants to take us back to yesterday. and that's not going to work. because america was build by optimists. optimists like my friend amanda

who recently started a small business. and she went to buy her website address. her first and last name. and she found out somebody already owned it but wasn't using it. so my friend e-mailed the owner of the site and she asked if she could buy it. well, the owner wrote back. she's a 13-year-old girl who shares amanda's name. she politely explained she could not give up the website. why? because the younger amanda plans to be president of the united states one day. and she's going to need the website for her campaign. so here's a little girl, 13 years old who believes that she can build her american dream. and here's a president who's building an america where that dream is possible. so let's fight for the american dream. amanda's. yours. mine. all of ours. and we know how to do that.

let's re-elect president. [ applause ] >> please welcome governor brian schweitzer of montana. >> he's wrapping up his term as the governor of montana. former chair of the democratic governors association. anxious to hear what he has to say. let's listen. >> settle down, montana, settle down! we got work to do. settle down. i know mitt romney. we were governors at the same time. both elected straight from the business world. we traveled together to iraq, afghanistan. spend a week in a war zone with

a guy and you really get to know him. we traded stories about our early years. his as a missionary in france. and mine as a soil scientist in libya and saudi arabia. we talked about family. religion. business. energy. war and peace. and the future of america. and i'll tell you this, mitt's a good man. a good family man. and a loyal american. [ applause ] but -- and you knew there was a "but." he brought the wrong agenda to massachusetts. and he is the wrong guy to be president of the united states. [ applause ] now, governor mitt romney saddled massachusetts taxpayers

with an additional 2.6 billion in debt and left them with the most debt per capita of any state in america. in montana, that dog don't hunt. now, remember those words. i might ask you to say them. governor mitt romney cut higher education by 14% in his first year. which meant that college education skyrocketed for students in massachusetts. now, i guess that's okay if you can afford it. but for the rest of us, that dog don't hunt. now, governor mitt romney raised taxed and fees by $750 million a year. now, i'm going to let you in on a little secret. when a politician who doesn't

want to be honest about a tax hike, he calls it a fee. now, mitt raised taxes -- i mean fees on driver's licenses. on school bus rides. on mental health services. and even on milk. but here's the one that got the burr under my saddle. he quadrupled the fee for a gun license. well, now maybe, just maybe that's okay for a guy who hunts varmentes. but for the rest of us, that dog don't hunt. now, mitt, you can't just etch a sketch away your record.

taxes up. cost of college up. debt up. now help me up here. new business starts, down. manufacturing, down. medium household income, down. economic growth, down. you know, if private equity mitt romney met governor mitt romney, he'd do what he says he likes to do. he'd fire him and outsource his job. now, let me tell you how we get her done in montana. clinton arithmetic. clinton arithmetic. [ applause ] yeah! clinton arithmetic.

we've had record budget surpluses every year i've been governor averaging more than $400 million in surplus. even during the great recession, we invested more new money in education than ever before. frozen tuition at our colleges for the longest period ever. and get this, we increased the percentage of adults with college degrees faster than any other state. well, we cut more taxes for more people than any governor in montana history and we vetoed republican tax increases. and our bond rating was upgraded. now, montana is moving in the right direction. and so is america. when president obama took office, the economy was in free

fall. losing more than 800,000 jobs a month. since then, he's helped create 4.5 million private sector jobs. and 29 straight months of job growth. stock market has doubled. energy production is up. imports from foreign country are down. the number of rigs drilling for oil in the united states has more than quadrupled. manufacturing jobs are coming back. and not just because we're producing a record amount of natural gas that's lowering electricity prices but because we have the best-trained, hardest-working labor force in the history of the world. [ applause ] we're demanding more from our schools. but we're backing up that demand by investing more in teachers. increasing financial aid. and doubling funding for pell grants.

now, while he was doing all of that, president obama cut our taxes. he cut taxes 18 times for small businesses. he cut taxes by $3,600 for the typical middle class family. now that dog does hunt. now, governor romney, he said that finding osama bin laden was, and i'll quote him, not worth moving heaven and earth. well, tonight, bin laden isn't on earth. sure isn't in heaven. and thank, to the courage of american special forces and the bold leadership of our president, osama bin laden's at the bottom of the ocean.

all four of my grandparents were immigrants. they homesteaded the montana prairie with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. and faith in god. and the hope in their hearts that their kids and grandkids would have a better future. they delivered on that hope. and so has president obama. now it's our turn to deliver. not just for the president but for our kids, for our grandkids. this election is about their education. their health care. their freedom. their dignity. their hope. and their future. are we going to deliver? are we going to keep america moving forward? are we going to hire the right

guy to finish the job for four more years? how many years? >> four more years! >> how many years? >> four more years! >> you got it. let's get to work, america. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. [ applause ] >> brian schweitzer, governor of montana. now charlie crist, former governor, he was on the short list for john mccain's vice presidential running mate. now he's speaking to endorse president obama. >> good evening. thank you. what an incredible night. optimism is in the air.

and what an honor to be here with you to stand with president barack obama. half a century ago, ronald reagan, the man whose optimism was inspiring to me to enter politics, he famously said at one time that he did not leave the democratic party but the party left him. listen, i can relate. i didn't leave the republican party. it left me. [ applause ] then again, my friend jeb bush recently noted reagan himself would have been too moderate, too reasonable for today's gop. we face serious challenges in our country. we must create good middle class jobs so we can have an economy that is built to last. we must rebuild our roads and bridges and improve our public schools.

and particularly important to me and my state of florida is the challenge of saving medicare and social security so we can keep our promise to our seniors. but there are commonsense solutions within our reach. if we only have leaders who are willing and enthusiastic to find common ground. no political party has a monopoly on that kind of leadership. but as a former lifelong republican, it pains me to tell you that today's republicans and their standard bearers, mitt romney and paul ryan, just aren't up to the task. they're beholden to the "my way or the highway" bullies, indebted to billionaires who bankroll their ads, and allergic to the very idea of compromise. ronald reagan would not have stood for that.

barack obama does not stand for that. you and i will not stand for that. i'll be honest with you. i don't agree with president obama about everything. but i've got be to know him. and i've worked with him. and the choice is crystal clear. when he took office, the economic crisis had already put my state of florida on the edge of disaster. the foreclosure crisis was consuming homeowners. the tourists we depend on couldn't visit. our vital construction industry had come to a standstill. president obama saw what i saw, a catastrophe in the making and he took action. one of his first -- >> charlie crist speaking. we're getting ready for the big fee naninale of this convention

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welcome back. we're waiting to hear from senator john kerry who's going to be taking the stage very shortly. also, we're waiting to hear from mark kelly, the husband of congresswomanle giffo giffords. i'm joined by alex castellanos and donna brazile.

do you think, are they trying to keep him reined in? >> oh, absolutely not, look, joe biden is an asset to the obama administration. not only in helping the president address many critical issues but, you know, most people don't understand that he -- the democrats love joe biden. joe biden has been part of the democratic family for a long time. he's the go to guy on education. on foreign policy, women's rights, gay rights. joe biden is invaluable. you'll hear from him tonight. it's very exciting. >> the debates are going to be excited between joe biden and paul ryan. >> i don't think they're trying to shut down paul ryan. they did tell him he could speak on, at the football stadium tonight. he's been around politics for 29 years. he's an old pro. he knows how to perform. i am going up against a policy wonk in paul ryan, i don't think republicans should underestimate paul ryan. a guy who appeals to joe six

pack. talk, straight. wonders a little bit beut he'll be tough in debates. >> the crowd on its feet for senator john kerry. let's listen in. >> thank you, thank you. in this campaign, we have a fundamental choice. will we protect our country and our allies, advance our interests in our deals, do battle where we must and make peace where we can? or will we entrust our place in the world to someone who just hasn't learned the lessons of the last decade? we've all learned mitt romney doesn't know much about foreign policy. but he has all these neo con advisers who know all the wrong things about foreign policy. he would rely on them after all, he's the great outsourcer.

but i say to you, this is not the time to outsource the job of commander in cheer. our opponents like to talk about american exceptionalism. but all they do is talk. they forget that we're exceptional not because we say we are but because we do exceptional things. we break out of the great depression. win two world wars. save lives fighting aids. pull people out of poverty. defend freedom. go to the moon. and produce exceptional people who even give their lives for civil rights and for human rights. despite -- and despite -- and despite what you heard in tampa, an exceptional country does care about the rise of the oceans and the future of the planet.

that is a responsibility -- that is a responsibility from the scriptures, and that too is a responsibility of the leader of the free world. the only thing exceptional about today's republicans is that almost without exception they oppose everything that has made america exceptional in the first place. an exceptional nation demands exceptional leadership. it demands the leadership of an exceptional president. and, my fellow americans, that president is barack obama. [ applause ] now, just measure the disaster and disarray that he inherited. a war of choice in iraq has become a war without end. and a war in necessity in afghanistan had become a war of

neglect. our alliances were shredded. our moral authority was in tattered. america was isolated in the world. our military was stretched to the breaking point. iran marching towards a nuclear weapon unchecked. and osama bin laden was still plotting. it took president obama to make america lead like america again. it took president obama to restore our moral authority. it took president obama to ban torture. the president understands that our values don't limit our power. they magnify it. he showed that global leadership is a strategic imperative for america. not a favor that we do to other countries. and president obama kept his promises. he promised to end the war in iraq. and he has. and our heroes have come home.

he promised to end the war in afghanistan. responsibly. and he is. and our heroes are coming home. he promised to focus like a laser on al qaeda. and he has. and our forces have eliminated more of its leadership in the last three years than in all the eight years that came before. and after more than -- after more than ten years without justice for thousands of americans murdered on 9/11, after mitt romney says it would be naive to go into pakistan to pursue the terrorists, it took president obama, against the advice of many, to give that order and finally rid this earth of osama bin laden. [ applause ]

ask osama bin laden if he is better off now than he was four years ago. [ applause ] barack obama promised always to stand with israel, to tighten sanctions on iran, and take nothing off the table. again and again, the other side has lied about where this president stands and what this president has done. but prime minister netanyahu set the record straight. he said our two countries have exactly the same policy. our security cooperation is unprecedented. and when it comes to israel, my friends, i'll take the word of israel's prime minister over mitt romney any day. [ applause ]

president obama promised to work with russia to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons and signed an historic treaty that does just that. he promised to lock down nuclear materials around the world. and he has done just that. he refused to accept the false choice between force without diplomacy and diplomacy without force. when a brutal dictator promised to hunt down and kill his own people like rats, president obama enlisted our allies, built the coalition, shared the burden so that today without a single american casualty, moammar gadhafi is gone and the people libya are free. so, on one side, so on one side of this campaign, we have a

president who has made america lead like america again. and what is there on the other side. an extreme and expedient candidate who lacks the judgment and the vision so vital for the oval office? the most inexperienced foreign policy twosome to run for president and vice president in decades. you know, it isn't fair to say that mitt romney doesn't have a position on afghanistan. he has every position. he -- he was against -- he was against setting a date for withdrawal. then he said it was right. and then he left the impression that maybe it was wrong to leave this soon. he said it was tragic to leave iraq. and then he said it was fine. help said we should have intervened in libya sooner. then he ran away from the reporters asking questions.

then he said the intervention was too aggressive. and then he said the world was a better place because the intervention succeeded. talk about being for it before you were against it. mr. romney, mr. romney, here's a little advice. before you debate barack obama on foreign policy, you better finish the debate with yourself. now, president mitt romney. president mitt romney. three very hypothetical words that mystified and alienated our allies this summer.

for mitt romney an overseas trip is what you call it when you trip all over yourself overseas. you know, it wasn't a goodwill mission. it was a blooper reel. but a romney/ryan foreign policy would be anything but funny. every president of both parties for 60 years has worked for nuclear arms control. but not mitt romney. republican secretaries of state from kissinger to baker, powell to rice, president bush, 71 united states senators, all supported president obama's new start treaty. but not mitt romney. he's even blurted out the preposterous notion that russia is our number one political, geopolitical foe. folks, sarah palin said she could see russia from alaska. mitt romney talks like he's only seen russia by watching "rocky

4." i'll tell you. so here's the choice. here's the choice in 2012. mitt romney out of touch at home. out of his depth abroad. and out of the mainstream. while barack obama, a president who is giving new life and truth to america's indispensable role in the world. a commander in chief who gives our troops the tools and training they need and more. the honor and help they have earned when they come home. a man -- a man. a man who will never ask other men and women to fight a war without a plan to win the peace. and let me say -- let me say

something else. let me say something else. no nominee for president should ever fail in the midst of a war to pay tribute to our troops overseas in his acceptance speech. mitt romney was talking about america. they are on the front lines either day, defending america, and they deserve our thanks. [ applause ] some of us from a prior war remember coming home was not always easy. president obama has made it his motion that we welcome our

troops home with care and concern and the respect they deserve. that is how an exceptional nation says thank you to its most exceptional men and women. mitt romney says he believes in america and that he will restore american exceptionalism. i have news for him. we already have an exceptional american as president and we believe in barack obama. thank you and god bless america. >> senator john kerry. clear to me that if president obama is re-elected, john kerry would be on the very, very short list to be the next secretary of state following hillary clinton. let's go to erin burnett. >> i have a very special guest, mark kelly joins me now. astronaut, husband of gabby giffords. she's already settled in the vip box for the big event coming up.

when she walked out on that stage, i was -- had tears on my face. i think almost everyone in the room did. to say the pledge of allegiance. how important was that moment for her? >> it was a big deal. she hasn't been around this kind of atmosphere for a long time. a lot of her friends are here. there's so much energy in this room. really excited to do it. quite of a -- a bit a long walk. i couldn't see her directly. i was backstage. but she had a great big smile on her face when she came back. >> you could hear the cheers, right? the chants of gabby, gabby. so how did she get ready for it? you talk about the long walk. you were saying she's been working tireless, day in, day out, with therapy, with walking. >> she really didn't have to get ready for this all that much. we talked a little bit today about where are you going to come in, where are you going to stop, those things. we ran through it once. she's really -- a lot energy so she's really excited about it. >> she was pumped to do it.

>> yeah, it was a lot of fun. >> you and gabby this week announced gabby pac. and a lot people here pacs, they think -- i know it's a three-letter acronym but it's a four-letter word. you and your wife are trying -- the goal you say is bipartisan. you're trying to basically fund democrats who are going to sponsor bipartisan things. >> yes. >> we've heard so many partisan speeches here and heard them last week in tampa. what are the main bipartisan causes? >> it's causes that she was really interested in. first, let me just say you know, over the last several years, you know, we've gotten to a point where there aren't a lot of people in the middle anymore and gabby was one of those people right in the middle. liked to work with republicans on legislation all the time. she really wants to make more of that happen. things that she cares about, certainly renewable energy, veteran issues, the border, so those kinds of things, she's

really interested in continuing to do that work. >> so the pac is going to only fund democrats but democrats who say, look, i'm going to work with republicans? >> she's focused on getting moderates elected to office. and probably because she's a democrat, you know that's probably going to be most but it doesn't actually say that and we haven't written that down anywhere. she thinks it's really important to have people who can work across the aisle. that's how you get things done. >> tell me, one question i've wanted to ask you, they look at her and she is so triumphant and so amazing. you have been through so much together. what has all this done for you, your relationship, your marriage? this unexpected and horrible event that -- what has it done? >> yeah, it's still -- it was so horrible on so many levels. certainly gabby was just injured but there are people who died including 9-year-old christina taylor green. just wanted to go there to meet her congresswoman. for us personally, it's been

horrible. but there have been a couple good things about it. we get to spend a lot more time together. and she doesn't work that crazy schedule she had as a member of congress. she misses it but there is -- you got to look for the pose ite things in life and she does that every day. she's excited to be here. got a lot of friends here. >> it was a special event. so thank you so much for taking the time. i know you're going to go back and join her and watch barack's big speech. >> you're very welcome. >> very nice to see you, mark. >> very nice to meet you. >> cnn's election coverage continues right now. in charlotte tonight, the democratic convention finale. barack obama accepts his party's nomination to serve four more years. >> we've got more doors of opportunity to open to every single american. >> first lady michelle obama sets the stage for the president. introduction the man she knows

better than anyone. >> when it comes to his character and his convictions and his heart, barack obama is still the same man i fell in love with all those years ago. >> will obama do what it takes tonight to hold on to the white house and fulfill his promise in change? >> we've come too far to turn back now. >> now cnn turns the spotlight on one of the biggest platforms in american politics. this is the democratic national convention. this is barack obama and joe biden's night. >> i believed in you. i bet on you. i'll make that bet any day of the week. that bet is paying off for america. >> this is america's choice. we'd like to welcome our viewers in the united states and

around the world to this, the democratic national convention in charlotte, north carolina. we'll be hearing from vice president joe biden in a few moments. then the moment these thousands of delegates have waited for. >> the hall is packed. president obama will enter this convention hall and make his case on why he should get a second term. he'll identify priorities for the next four years and try to reconnect to those supporters who may be disenchanted from 2008. >> the arena is so crowded, get this, the doors to the building are now closed. the fire department is restricting access to vips only. our cnn correspondents brianna keilar, soledad o'brien and kate bolduan, they are down on the arena floor. candy crowley is stationed above the speaker's podium where the president and the vice president will give their speeches. candy, tell us a little bit more about what we expect to hear. >> well, we know we will hear

from president obama what will be an outlining of some goals. not specific ways to get to those goals but at least what he wants to accomplish in the next four years. part of an excerpt they gave us, our problems can be solved, he'll say, our challenges can be met. the path we offer may be harder but it leads to a better place. and i'm asking you to choose that future. i'm asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country. goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security and the deficit. a real achievable plan that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. that's what we can do in the next four years. that's why i'm running for a second term as president of the united states. of course, the big chore for the president will be to convince those folks, those democrats who are discouraged, those swing voters who are thinking about going elsewhere, that in fact we are on the right path.

the country is on the right path. and that these things are achievable because, as you know, wolf, the republicans have said, listen, he makes great speeches and he makingses a lot promises they don't come true. >> brianna keilar is getting information on the whereabouts of the president and the first lady. brianna, what are you learning? >> he's rolling here as we understand from pool reports. he's on his way to the time warner cable arena. and i'm here in front of the first lady's box. if you come with me, i just want to give you a sense of -- she's actually in the box and i want to give you a sense of the view she's going to be having right here in front of the stage where she'll be watching president obama. she is there, standing up as you can see. she's joined -- i see valerie jarrett there as well. perhaps the bidens will be joining them. pretty good seats. a very good view of president obama giving his acceptance speech. >> brianna, thanks.

kate bolduan has some more vips. who are you seeing there, kate? >> exactly right, we've gotten information coming from a democratic official some of the other vips who are in a very special box, a little -- up a little higher, we probably won't even be able to give you a great shot of it, includes valerie jarrett, senior adviser to obama, and caroline kennedy and her husband. you heard caroline spoke very passionately for president obama this evening. also in the box we're told is penny and john, friends and big donors to president obama, along with james and kim taylor. we interviewed and spoke to james taylor. the grammy-award winning and music star james taylor. he performed earlier this evening and is a longtime supporter of president obama as well, wolf. >> kate, thanks. soledad o'brien's getting new information on security here in charlotte. what are you learning? >> yeah, it's absolutely packed. absolutely jammed with people. and of course what we know now is that the fire department has

put everything on lockdown. they're not really letting people to go in and out from the perimeter into the arena itself. into the floor. all of that has stopped. we know there are some people who are stuck outside who actually were able to get those passes when they moved tonight's speech into the arena out from the stadium but they're even having problems coming in because there are just too many people inside. you can see how packed this arena is. much more crowded than we've seen. so the issue really is the secret service, which has clamped things down. obviously we're expecting to hear from the president in just a little bit. but also it's unsafe to have too many people in. some vips we're told have been able to get through the perimeter under certain circumstances. the fire department, the fire marshal, calling things very fluid at this moment, but we know there are people who are stuck outside and who are not able to make their way in. wolf. >> soledad, thanks very much.

anderson, you know, this was supposed to be taking place at the bank of america stadium. a huge outdoor football stadium. but bad weather prevented that. that's why all of us are inside. a lot fewer than 65,000 people, probably 25,000 inside here. >> it is packed, as you've been saying. i'm joined by our panelists. democrats, republicans, supporters, folks who worked on both sides of the aisle. david bergen, gloria borger, alex castellanos, cnn's john king. let's talk about the relationship between joe biden and president obama. what role has biden played? >> there's no question, there's been tension from time to time. but they lunch weekly. this vice president spent 36 years on capitol hill. he has been a liaison. sometimes not as much as people had expected cutting deals, negotiating. in part because there haven't

been deals to cut. the greatest asset they believe, the 2008 primaries, then senator obama was weakest, blue collar areas like in pennsylvania where biden is from. he's an emissary to blue collar workers. he's a bit more comfortable in an irish pub or vfw hall tip back a beer. every now and then, his tongue gets ahead of the brain. >> you know, he's also he's a real ambassador to capitol hill. when you talk to people who work for joe biden say that is one of his key jobs which is to keep in touch with leadership on capitol hill. also, very important in senate races. he's been out there for lots of democratic senate candidates where they think he can make a big difference. >> you see people with signs saying "thank you." let's listen in. this is a tribute to veterans. we've seen first lady michelle obama on her feet as well.

let's listen. >> my dad joined the army air corps in 1940 as an enlisted man fixing bombers in world war ii. he served in the strategic air command. my mother was a volunteer for the uso. and later as a widow she raised five children. in the years since, i've been privileged to lead and serve with members of this next great generation. i see in them tough bright courageous inspiring men and women. i see this country's future leaders. these service members had been to some of the bleakest corners of the globe. they know how good this country is. they know firsthand what america means to the world. and they're going to bring to us the next great moment in our nation's history. because the president is standing with them.

tonight, we are standing here with you. we are standing with our president. the men and women on this stage are only a small sample of this amazing generation. americans from texas, from virginia, from florida, from oregon, maine. new york. hawaii. north carolina. all across this great country. and so for them, they rep -- and what they represent, please stand with me in saying thank you.

>> the crowd here obviously on their feet. thanking these veterans who have been on the stage. just a few minutes away from joe biden taking this stage. we'll continue here with our panel. as we watch the crowd give their appreciation to those veterans on the stage and all those who have served and are currently serving around the world. the relationship between joe biden and the president, what do you see, how close? >> you know, i'm often called over to the white house and -- you know, vice president biden liked to follow you into the office, have lunch, and what are you hearing, donna, or what are they saying out there, how are people feeling? i mean, he's the person inside the white house that really keeps in touch with the broad group of democrats across the country, whether organized labor, you know, women on

capitol hill, civil rights leaders. everyone knows joe biden. has been so much a part of the democratic family. he's a leader. he's someone who understands the issues, the values. on a personal note, i mean, joe biden care about american military families. i'm not surprised tonight that we've spent time not only with a video but also this emotional tribute to our military family. >> you knew somebody on the stage tonight. >> one of my students is on the stage, mara sullivan, she was a marine in iraq. she had a picture in "fortune" magazine. one of the rising group of young leaders going into corporate america actually and really doing terrifically well. this is a generation that offers an enormous amount of promise, especially these veterans who are coming home. >> one issue, as you well know, is the obama administration is putting a lot of emphasis on hiring veterans. to make sure they have the skills and the training that they need in order to get back

into the workforce. >> there has been some talk about hillary clinton as a possible vice president instead of biden. you're all shaking your heads. >> no, i don't think it was ever really real. believe me, i was reporting out that story. and it was never going to happen. and, you know, there was some sense among the biden people that maybe some of the hillary staff was sort of winking and promoting that. hillary's staff said of course not. they weren't doing that. the truth of the matter is that joe biden is personally close to president obama. he made drive president obama crazy at times because he's so different from the president. but they have established a very good working relationship. in which joe biden gives the president his unvarnished advice. and the president doesn't always take it. he did not take it, for example, on the surge. and he did not take it on the osama bin laden raid.

>> can i just say there's a mystery here? let's put it on the table. every convention i can remember, the vice president has had a featured speech and one of the most important hours in the convention. in this case, it's 10:00 to 11:00. this is the first time i can remember a vice president has been relegated off that hour. >> it's the first time they've had a three-day convention -- >> and they went for bill clinton -- >> who would you go for? >> well, it was a -- if i were joe biden, i'd feel a little wounded. >> jill biden -- >> he's a big boy. >> let's quickly check in with our jessica yell who has some report on what joe biden will talk about tonight. >> tonight in the speech, the vice president's goal is to try -- he will use anecdotes about his time with the president. seeing him in office. making major decisions. and use that to make a point about the kind of leader he is and the kind of character he has. sort of as only a work wife

could. if michelle obama testified to what he's like as the husband, he's testifying to what the president is like as the, quote, work wife, if you will. also, i'm told, wolf, that he'll draw contrasts with romney. as we said earlier, if a gentle way, not a blistering attack. the idea is he can set the stage so president obama can come up and talk about the future. >> on the campaign stump, he has been blistering at times going after mitt romney and the republicans. tonight, will be a softer joe biden. >> that's right, he is usually the attack dog. today, it will focus much more on what he's seen in the white house with the president. >> by all accounts, you cover the white house, you're our chief white house correspondent, they do have an excellent relationship, the president and the vice president. there doesn't seem to be any significant tension. although they disagree on policy from time to time. >> that's right. there are moments -- i think jill biden is coming out, his wife. >> there she is, dr. jill biden, the wife of the vice president. she's going to introduce him and

get this convention going. the vice president will speak and, later, the president of the united states. so there she is, jill biden. >> hello. what a night, what a crowd. thank you, angie. i'm so proud how far you've come. i'm so proud to stand before you tonight. not only as the wife of our vice president but as a full-time teacher and a military mom. i'm here for our son, beau, and for all of our troops, veterans and military families. four years ago, fobeau stood on this stage to introduce his

father. soon afterward, he deployed to iraq for a year with the delaware army national guard. tonight, thanks to the leadership of president obama and my husband joe, the war in iraq is over. i'm also here tonight for my students, students like angie, who work so hard to create a better life for themselves and their families. i've been a teacher for more than 30 years and to this day i continue to teach full time at a community college in northern virginia. [ applause ]

not long after joe was elected vice president, people started questioning whether i could keep teaching. not joe. he was there standing by my side, saying, of course you should. it's who you are, jill. for me, being a teacher isn't just what i do. it's who i am. [ applause ] these issues are personal to me. and for the more than 37 years that i've known joe, i've seen firsthand just how personal they are to him too. joe often tells people that i didn't agree to marry him till the fifth time he asked me. the truth is, i loved him from the start. i saw in him then the same character that i see in him

today. i've seen joe's character in his optimism. for families who have lost a loved one, kids struggling to find their way. workers out of a job. joe always worked to give people a sense of hope. [ applause ] i've also seen joe's character in his determination. two decades ago, when joe started working on the violence against women act, domestic violence was often treated as a private family matter rather than the crime it is. but joe knew that he had to bring this issue out into the open. and in the year since that bill has passed, i've had women tell me that their sisters or their friends wouldn't be alive today

if it weren't for joe. finally, i've seen joe's character in his heart. when i first met him, joe had already seen just how fragile life could be. when he was 29 years old, joe lost his first wife and his baby daughter in a tragic car accident. and their boys were critically injured. joe's life was shattered. but through his strong catholic faith and his fierce love for our boys, joe found the strength to get back up. that's joe. that optimism.

that determination. that big strong heart that drives him forward every day. it's what he learned as a young boy growing up with two hard working parents in scranton, pennsylvania. it's what makes him such a loving supportive father of our three children, beau, hunter and ashley. and it's what drives him today as he and president obama fight to strengthen the middle class they grew up in. for as long as i've known him, joe has never given up, never failed to see the possibilities, and never had any doubt about who he's fighting for. and as long as he has the privilege of serving this nation, i know from the bottom of my heart that he will continue to fight for you every

day. thank you, god bless our troops and god bless our military families. thank you! >> i like best about this country the people. there isn't anything we can't do. there still is that feeling in america. that's the part i love about it. my mother thought the most important virtue was courage. she thought everything else flowed from that.

and she said, bravery lies in every heart and some day it's likely to be summoned. >> over the last four years, americans have summoned the bravery that lives in our hearts. one by one. family by family. community by community. fighting through the worst economic crisis since the great depression. proving once again there is just no quit in america. joe biden understands this. it's what you learn growing up in scranton, pennsylvania. in claymont, delaware. >> it was a neat place to grow up. we think it's completely normal. four kids. three bedrooms. mom and dad. and of the probably 16 years i lived in that house, there was a relative at least 14 of those years living with us full time. my parents never doubted for a second i could be president or vice president. this notion that nobody is better than you. you're no better than anyone else. but nobody's better than you,

and in this country, you can be anything you want to be. >> i think that sense of optimism is what he feels for america. >> his parents taught him the fundamental truths that make this country special. basic beliefs that have defined what it is to be middle class for generations. >> middle class wasn't a number. it wasn't your net worth. it was more a value set. it's the idea. that everyone in this country who works at it can do well. who can own a home. not rent it. be able to live in a safe neighborhood. send their kid to school. help take care of their parents. maybe save enough that they can take care of themselves without having to rely on their children. that's what this is all about. >> but for too many middle class families, this dream is falling out of reach. the pain of the great recession has cut deep. the longest walk a parent can make is up a short flight of stairs, up to their child's

bedroom, to sit at the edge of the bed and say, honey, i'm sorry, but you can't plan a little league team this summer. or you can't sing in st. anne's choir. or you can't, you know, go to roosevelt high school. i lost my job. we've got to move. my dad made that walk. think how many people have made some version of that walk all across america. and they're not looking for a handout. they're just looking for a shot. just a shot to get back in the game. and i think we own that shot. >> giving the middle class a shot has been the cause of this white house. from the moment they took the oath of office, the challenges have been enormous. for this president and vice president, it has been a partnership forged in fire. >> it's turned out to be a singular opportunity to be able to work with a guy like barack

obama. because we trust each other. it's a completely candid relationship. i asked him why he wanted me. he said to help him govern. and so it's been very rewarding but it's been most rewarding watching him. this guy has an incredible amount of character. backbone like a ram rod. he makes his judgments based upon what he thinks is good for the country. the last questions he asks are the political consequences of it. >> joe has been a great partner and a great vice president. he cares about the middle class. he knows what it's like to struggle. and he's carried that passion to the white house. >> every step of the way, they have met the challenge. preventing an economic collapse. rescuing the auto industry. passing historic health care reform. ill eliminating bin laden. ending the war in iraq. and through it all, they have put the interests of the nation first. >> really and truly, barack and i are about growing this economy

from the middle out. because when you do it that way, everybody does well. poor folks have a ladder up. there's a way into the middle class. those who are striving to get in the middle class and the wealthy do very well. because the middle class have money in their pockets. they can go out and purchase things that make the economy grow. and not only is sort of the american way, it's also economically the best way to grow a country. give them a tax system that's basically fair. give their killeds an opportunity for an education. provide an environment where they can flourish. >> maybe it's because he's never for gotten where he came from that he's never lost sight of where we need to go. >> he has such a sense of justice and fairness to him. and i think that makes him fight even harder for people. >> maybe it's because he's known loss and pain in his own life that he's never been blind to the suffering of others.

>> i think that's one of the things that joe has that a lot of the people don't have. this sense of intuition. he intuitively feels someone's pain. he did know what it feels like to lose a wife. and then -- and then the unspeakable. to lose a child. and i think that's why people connect with him. >> he's always shown that he's been a man that supports the working class. >> he really cares for me. >> he's absolutely here for us. he's listening. >> yes, he is. here, roger. >> hi, rog, this is joe biden. >> biden, biden, biden! >> maybe it's because he's never doubted the american people that he's never doubted america's future. >> it's never been a safe bet to bet against america. i know, i get criticized for saying that to foreign leaders. but i will not stop saying that. it's never been a good bet to bet against america. >> we're going to fight for the middle class. there's nobody i'd rather have

in that fight with me than joe biden. >> he's the husband of the teacher who knows teachers should be lifted up, not torn down. he's the son of an auto man who never doubted the american auto industry would once again roar. he's the author of the violence against women act. who's had the courage to stand against the abuse of power his whole career. he's the father of an iraq war veteran who believes our one sacred obligation is to take care of those who have served this nation. >> i can say with absolute certainty, i am more optimistic about america's chances today than i have been my entire life. >> grit. determination. resilien resilience. optimism. that's been the story of america. the story of ordinary people with extraordinary courage overcoming extraordinary obstacles and always, always moving towards a better day. joe biden knows that story. he's lived it.

our vice president joe biden. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the vice president of the united states, joe biden. [ cheers and applause ]

>> hello, my fellow democrats! and my favorite democrat. jilly, i want you to know that beau and hunt and ashley and i, we're so incredibly proud of you. you know, we admire the way -- with every single solitary young person -- and they're not all young, walk into your classroom, you not only teach them, you give them confidence. you give me confidence. and the passion. the passion she brings to try to ease the burden on the families of our warriors. jilly, they know you understand them. and that makes a gigantic difference.

and, folks, i tell you what, it was worth the trip. to hear my wife say what i've never heard her say before. she's always loved me. if that's the case, why in the heck did it take five times of asking you? and that's true. five times. i don't know what i would have done, kiddo, had you on that fifth time said no. i love you. you're the love of my life and the life of my love. [ applause ] we've got three incredible kids. beau, i want to thank you for

putting my name in nomination to be vice president of the united states. i accept! i accept! with great honor and pleasure, i accept! thank you. thank you, my fellow democrats. i say to my fellow americans, my m fellow americans, four years ago, a battered nation turned away from the failed policies of the past and turned to a leader who they knew would lift our nation out of the crisis. a journey we haven't finished yet. we know we still have more to do. but today i say to my fellow citizens in the face of the deepest economic crisis in our lifetime, this generation of

americans has proven itself as worthy as any generation before us. for we possess that same grit. that same determination. that same courage. that has always defined what it means to be an american. has always defined all of you. together, we're in a mission. we're in a mission to move this nation forward. from doubt and downturn to promise and prosperity. a mission i guarantee you we will complete! a mission we will complete! folks, tonight what i really want to do is tell you about my friend barack obama.

no one could tell it as well or as eloquently as michelle as you did last night, michelle, on monday night. but i know him to state the obvious from a different perspective. i know him. and i want to show you. i want to show you the character of a leader who had what it took when the american people literally stood on the brink of a new depression. a leader who has what it takes to lead us over the next four years to a future as great as our people. i want to take you inside the white house. to see the president as i see him every day. because i don't see him in sound bites. i walk 30 paces down the hall into the oval office and i see him.

i watch him in action. four years ago, the middle class was already losing ground. and then the bottom fell out. the financial crisis hit like a sledgehammer. on all the people i grew up with. you remember the headlines. you saw some of them in the previews. highlight. highest job losses in 60 years. headlines. economy on the brink. markets plummet worldwide. from the very moment president obama sat behind the desk resolute in the oval office, he knew. he knew he had not only to restore the confidence of a nation, but he had to restore the confidence of the whole world. and he also knew -- he also knew

that one, one false move could bring a run on the banks. or a credit collapse. to put another several million people out of work. america and the world needed a strong president with a steady hand and with the judgment and vision to see us through. day after day, night after night, i sat beside him as he made one gutsy decision after the other. to stop the slide and reverse it. i watched him. i watched him stand up. i watched him stand up to intense pressure. and stare down enormous, enormous challenges. the consequences of which were awesome. but most of all, i got to see

firsthand what drove this man. his profound concern for the average american. he knew, he knew that no matter how tough this decisions he had to make were in that oval office, he knew that families all over america sitting at their kitchen tables were literally making decisions for their family that were equally as consequential. you know, barack and i, we've been through a lot together these four years. and we learned about one another. a lot about one another. and one of the things i learned about barack is the enormity of his heart. and i think he learned about me, the depth of my loyalty to him. [ applause ] and there's another thing.

another thing that has bound us together these past four years. we had a pretty good idea what all those families, all you americans in trouble, were going through. in part because our own families had gone through similar struggles. barack as a young man had to sit at the end of his mother's hospital bed and watch her fight with her insurance company. at the very same time she was fighting for her life. when i was a young kid in third grade, i remember my dad coming up the stairs in my grand pop's house where we were living, sitting at the end of my bed and saying, joey, i'm going to have to leave for a while. go down to wilmington, delaware, with uncle frank. there are good jobs down there, honey. in a little while, a little while, i'll be able to send for you and mom and jimmy and val.

and everything's going to be fine. for the rest of our life, my sister and my brothers, for the rest of our life, my dad never failled to remind us that a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. it's about -- [ applause ] it's about your dignity. it's about respect. it's about your place in the community. it's about being able to look your child in the eye and say, honey, it's going to be okay. and mean it. and know it's true. when barack and i were growing up, there was an implicit understanding in america. that if you took responsibility, you'd get a fair shot at a better life. and the values, the values

behind that bargain, were the values that has shaped both us. and many, many of you. and today those same values are barack's guiding star. folks, i've watched him. he has never wavered. he never, never backs down. he always steps up and he always asks in either one of those critical meetings the same fundamental question, how is this going to affect the average american? how is this going to affect people's lives? that's what's inside this man. that's what makes him tick. that's who he is. [ applause ] folks, because of the decisions he has made, and the incredible

strength of the american people, america has turned the corner. the worst job loss since the great depression. we've since created 4.5 million private sector jobs in the last 29 months. look, folks, president obama and governor romney, they're both, they're both loving husbands. they're both devoted fathers. but let's be straight. they bring a vastly different vision and a vastly different value set to the job. and tonight, tonight although you've heard people talk about it, i want to talk about two things from a slightly different perspective. from my perspective. i'd like to focus on two crises and show you the character of

the leadership that each man will bring to this job. because, as i said, i've had a ringside seat. the first of these, a lot's been talked about. and god loved jennifer granholm. wasn't she great? wasn't she great? i love jennifer. but the first story i want to talk to you about is the rescue of the automobile industry. and let me tell you, let me tell you from this man's ringside seat, let me tell you about how barack obama saved more than 1 million american jobs. in the first -- in the first days, the first days that we took office, general motors and chrysler were literally on the verge of liquidation. if the president didn't act, if he didn't act immediately, there wouldn't be any industry left to

save. so we sat hour after hour in the oval office. michelle remembers. must have thought when he came back upstairs. we sat hour after hour. we listened to senators. congressmen. outside advisers. even some of our own advisers. we listened to them say some of the following things. they said, well, we shouldn't step up. the risks were too high. the outcome was too uncertain. and the president, he patiently sat there and he listened. but he didn't see it the way they did. he understood something they didn't get. and one of the reasons i love him. he understood that this wasn't just about cars. it was about the people who built and made those cars. [ applause ] and about the america those people built! in those meetings --

[ applause ] in those meetings, in those meetings, i often thought about my dad. my dad was an automobile man. he would have been one of those guys all the way down the line. not on the factory floor. not along the supply chain. but one of those guys who were selling american cars to american people. i thought about -- i thought about what this crisis would have meant for the mechanics and the secretaries and the salespeople who my dad managed for over 35 years. and i know for certain, i know for certain that my dad, were he here today, he'd be fighting like heck for the president. because the president fought to save the jobs of those people my dad cared so much about. ladies and gentlemen -- [ applause ] -- my dad, my dad respected barack obama, would have respected barack obama, had he been around, for having had the

guts to stand up for the automobile industry when so many others just were prepared to walk away. you know when i look back, when i look back now, when i look back on the president's decision, i think of another son, of another automobile man, mitt romney. mitt romney grew up in detroit. my dad managed -- while his dad ran an entire automobile company, american motors. yes, what i don't understand is, in spite of that, he was willing to let detroit go bankrupt. look, look, i don't think he's a bad guy. no, no, i don't think he's a bad guy. i'm sure he grew up loving cars as much as i did. what i don't understand, what i don't think he understood, i

don't think he understood that saving the automobile worker, saving the industry, what it meant to all of america. not just autoworkers. i think he saw it the bain way. i think he saw it in terms of balance sheets and writeoffs. folks, the bain way may bring your firm the highest profits. but it's not the way to lead our country from the highest office. [ applause ] when things hung in the balance, when things hung in the balance, i mean, literally hung in the balance, the president understood this was about a lot more than the automobile industry. this was about restoring america's pride.

he understood. he understood in his gut what it would mean to leave a million people without hope or work if he didn't act. and he also knew, also knew, intuitively understood, the message it would have sent around the world if the united states gave up on an industry that helped put america on the map in the first place. [ applause ] conviction. resolve. barack obama. that's what saved the automobile industry! [ applause ] conviction. resolve. barack obama. look, you heard my friend john kerry. this president, this president has shown the same resolve, the

same steady hand, in his role as commander in chief. look, which brings me to the next illustration i want to tell you about. the next crisis he had to face. in 2008, 2008, before he was president, barack obama made a promise to the american people. he said, if i have been -- if we had bin laden in our sights, we will, we will take him out. he went on to say, he went on to say, that has to be our biggest national security priority. look, barack understood that the search for bin laden was about a lot more than taking a monstrous leader off the battlefield. it was about so much more than that. it was about righting an

unspeakable wrong. it was about -- literally, it was about healing an unbearable wound, a nearly unbearable wound in america's heart. and he also knew, he also knew the message we had to send around the world. if you attack innocent americans, we will follow you to the end of the earth! [ applause ] look -- [ applause ] most of all -- most of all, president obama had an unyielding faith in the capacity and the capability of

our special forces. literally, the finest warriors in the history of the world. the finest warriors in the history of the world. so we sat so we sat, we sat originally, only five of us. we sat in the situation room began in the fall of the year before. we listened, we talked, we heard. and he listened to the risks and reservations about the raid. he asked again the tough questions. he listened to the doubts that were expressed. but when admiral mccraven looked him in the eye and said sir, we can get this job done. i sit next to him. i looked at your husband, and i knew at that moment he had made

his decision. and his response was decisive. he said do it. and justice was done. [ applause ] folks -- folks -- governor romney didn't see things that way. when he was asked about bin laden in 2007, here's what he said. he said it's not worth moving heaven and earth and spending billions of dollars just to catch one person. but he was wrong. he was wrong. because if you understood that america's heart had to be healed, you would have done exactly what the president did, and you would move heaven and

earth to hunt him down and to bring him to justice. look, four years ago -- four years ago, the only thing missing at this convention this year is my mom. four years ago my mom was still with us, sitting up in the stadium in denver. i quoted her -- i quoted her one of her favorite expressions. she used to say to all her children. she said joey, bravery resides in every heart and the time will come when it must be summoned. ladies and gentlemen, i'm hear to tell you what i think you already know. i watch it up close. bravery resides in the heart of barack obama and time and time again i've witnessed him summon

it, this man has courage in his soul, compassion in his heart and a spine of steel. and because of all the actions he took, because of the calls he made, because of the determination of american workers and the unparalleled bravery of our special forces, we can now proudly say what you've heard me say the last six months, osama bin laden is dead and general motors is alive! [ applause ] that's right. one man. folks, we know, we know we have more work to do. we know we're not there yet. but not a day has gone by in the last four years when i haven't been grateful as an american

that barack obama is our president, because he always has the courage to make the tough decision. [ applause ] speaking of tough decisions, speaking of tough calls. last week we heard that the republican convention, we heard our opponents, we heard them pledge that they too had the courage to make the tough calls. that's what they said. but folks, in case you didn't notice, i say to my fellow americans, in case you didn't notice, they didn't have the courage to tell you what calls they'd make. they never mentioned any of that. mrs. robinson, you watched from home i guess, from the white

house. you heard them talk so much about how they cared so much about medicare. how much they wanted to preserve it. that's what they told you. but let's look at what they didn't tell you. what they didn't tell you is that the plan they have already put down on paper would immediately cut benefits for more than 30 million seniors already on medicare. what they didn't tell you, what they didn't tell you is the plan they're proposing would cause medicare to go bankrupt by 2016. and what they really didn't tell you is, they -- if you want to know, if you want to know, they're not for preserving medicare at all. they're for a new plan. it's called voucher care. look, folks. that's not courage.

that's not even truthful. that's not even truthful. in tampa, they talk with great urgency about the nation's debt and the need to act, to act now. but not once, not one single time did they tell you that they rejected every plan put forward by us, by the bipartisan simpson bowles commission they referenced or by any other group. to reduce the national debt. they're not prepared to do anything about the debt if it contained even one dollar, i'm not exaggerating, even one dollar or one cent in new taxes for millonaires. folks, that's not courage and that's not fair.

look. in a sense this can be reduced to a single notion. the two men seeking to lead this country over the next four years, as i said at the outset, have fundamentally different visions and completely different value set. governor romney believes in this global economy it doesn't matter much where american companies invest and put their money or where they create jobs. as a matter of fact, in his budget proposal, in his tax proposal he calls for a new tax. it's called a territorial tax which the experts have looked at and they acknowledge it will create 800,000 new jobs. all of them overseas. all of them. and what i found, what i found fascinating, the most fascinating thing i found last week was when governor romney said that as president, he would take a jobs tour.

this support for outsourcing, it's going to have to be a foreign trip. it will. look, president obama knows that creating jobs in america, keeping jobs in america, bringing jobs back to america, is what the president's job is all about. that's what presidents do. or at least supposed to do. folks, governor romney believes it's okay to raise taxes on middle class by $2,000 in order to pay for literally another trillion dollar tax cut for the very well think. president obama knows there's nothing decent or fair about asking people with more to do less and with less to do more. governor romney believes, he believes that kids, kids like our dreamers, those immigrant children, those immigrant

children who are brought to america's shores through no fault of their own, he thinks they're a drag on the american economy. president obama believes that even though those kids didn't choose to come here, they have chosen to do right by america and it's time for us to do right by them. governor romney, governor romney -- governor romney looks at the notion of equal pay in terms of a company's bottom line. president obama, he knows that making sure our daughters get the same pay for the same jobs as our son is every father's bottom line. [ applause ] look, i kind of expected all that from him.

but one thing truly perplexed me at their convention. the thing that perplexed me most was this idea they kept talking about about the culture of dependency. they seemed to think you create a culture of dependency when you provide a bright young qualified kid from a working class family a loan to get to college or when you provide a job training program in a new industry for a dad who lost his job because it was outsourced. folks, folks, that's not how we look at it. that's not how america has ever looked at it. what he doesn't understand is all these men and women are looking for is a chance, just a chance to acquire the skills to be able to provide for their families so they can once again hold their heads high and lead independent lives with dignity. that's all they're looking for.

look. and what literally amazes me they don't understand that. you know, i told you at the outset, the choice is stark. two different visions, two different value sets. but at its core, the difference is ably reduced to be a fundamental difference. you see, you, we, most americans, have incredible faith in the decency and hard work of the american people. and we know what has made this country. it's the american people. as i mentioned at the outset, four years ago, we were hit hard. you saw, you saw your retirement accounts drain, the equity in your homes vanish, but what did you do? you didn't lose faith, you fought back. you didn't give up. you got up. you're the ones. the american people. you're the ones.

you're the reason why we are still better positioned than any country in the world to lead the 21st century. you never quit on america and you deserve a president who will never quit on you! [ applause ] folks, there's one more thing. one more thing. our republican opponents are just dead wrong about. america is not in decline. america is not in decline. i've got news for governor romney and congressman ryan. gentlemen, never, ever -- it never makes sense, it's never been a good bet to bet against the american people.

never! my fellow americans, america is coming back. and we're not going back. and we have no intention of downsizing the american dream. never. never a good bet. ladies and gentlemen, in a moment, in a moment we're going to hear from a man whose whole life is a testament to the power of that dream and whose presidency is the best hope to secure that dream for our children. for you see, you see, we see a future. we really, honest to god, do we see a future where everyone,

rich and poor does their part and has a part. a future where we depend more on clean energy from home and less on oil from abroad. a future where we're number one in the world again in college graduation. a future where we promote the private sector, not the privileged sector. and a future -- and a future where women once again control their own choices, their destiny and their own health care. and ladies and gentlemen, barack and i see a future, it's in our dna, where no one, no one is forced to live in the shadows of intolerance.

folks, we see a future where american -- where america leads not only by the example of our power, but by the power of our example. where we bring our troops home from afghanistan, just as we proudly did from iraq. a future, a future where we fulfill the only truly sacred obligation we have as a nation. the only truly sacred obligation we have is to prepare those who we send to war and care for them when they come home from war. and tonight, and tonight -- tonight, i want to

acknowledge -- i want to acknowledge, as we should every night, the incredible debt we owe to the families of those 6,473 fallen ang else, those 49,746 wounded. thousands critically. thousands who will need our help for the rest of their lives. folks, we never -- we must never, ever forget their sacrifice. and always keep them in our care and in our prayers. my fellow americans, we now find ourselves at the hinge of history. and the direction we turn is not

figuratively, it's literally in your hands. it has been a truly great honor to serve you and to serve with barack, who has always stood up with you for the past four years. i've seen him tested. i know his strength, his commands, his faith. and i also know the incredible confidence he has in all of you. i know this man. yes, the work of recovery is not yet complete, but we are on our way. the journey of hope is not yet finished, but we are on our way. and the cause of change is not fully accomplished, but we are on our way. so i say to you tonight, with absolute confidence, america's best days are ahead. and yes, we are on our way!

and in light of that horizon, for the values that define us, for the ideals that inspire us, there is only one choice. that choice is to move forward, boldly forward and finish the job and re-elect president barack obama! god bless you all and may god protect our troops. god bless you. thank you. [ applause [ applause ] >> vice president joe biden, a rousing speech in this haul received slowly at first, but really toward the end clearly getting people on their feet. what do you make of it? >> i get to ask david this, culturally and stylistically, that had an '80s republican kind

of tinge to it. we're people just like your people and he got to do what every guy dreams of. he got the big speech and to slobber over his wife and boss. >> good working class message. he told us tonight that barack obama was a man of great courage. and he must be, he gave joe biden a live microphone. but we didn't learn anything new and we really haven't all night long. if you don't change what people know you don't change how they vote. so 50i78 not sure that the ball has moved forward tonight like it did last night. >> i disagree with that. i actually think harken back to an '80s culture worked for joe biden and it remind a lot of people that this party has those roots as well, those working class roots which i think is important for democrats. but what i found most interesting was his double

barrel argument about the automobile industry and bin laden. and he drove that home. i think they're making head way on this automobile bailout question. in places like ohio and michigan and it's driving republicans up the wall. >> i think it's a question of driving home the message of leadership. because this is an issue that mitt romney is a little bit ahead of barack obama on. and it's a question of lifting the veil on how this president makes decisions and how he leads. and as joe biden kept saying, you know, i had the seat right next to him there, so i watched him. and that's very effective when you're talking to the american public because he's an eyewitness. >> iths people close to the president say who's going to win the election. when you talk about no, sir tail gentleman and you're talking to people in their 50s and 60s especially on the medicare that

could be a decisive voting block. the president can't say definitively we're better off. if the president says it it will seem like he's bloeding. we're on your side. the way bain may bring your firm the highest profit but it's not the way to lead your country from the highest office. wolf, you've seen a lot of speeches over the years. >> yeah. the speech was very powerful but it came to defending the president, explaining his courage, explaining the decisions on the u.s. auto industry, the decision to go after bin laiden. it was a lot tougher on mitt romney than i was led to believe. it was blistering and it really went after the republicans on the whole issue of medicare. he indirectly raised the issue of medicaid, i think he's referring to the cuts that

presumably be resulting from medicaid. this is going to be an issue that's going to be fiercely debated across the country. candy, tell our viewers what you thought. >> i think that one of the reasons when going back four years that barack obama wanted joe biden on this ticket was those working class roots. that very demographic that right now, white working class voters, those noncollege voters that are having some trouble signing on with barack obama for a second time around. i think that's where joe biden has been most effective. this is certainly a crowd that is very familiar with this man and familiar with his story, but it's the story, and you see him on the trail. he also has this incredible sort of compassion about him that dates back to having lost his wife and his daughter in that car crash and he talks a lot to survivors of the military folks about getting over a great loss. so it was an effective speech

certainly for those folks that he was trying to go after. i think he did everything the obama administration wanted him to do before this and tonight, anderson. >> we are still waiting. a video of introducing president obama, michelle obama will then come out and introduce her husband. this of course what so many in the auditorium are waiting for. it was interesting though, and maybe it is that '80s style that you were speaking of, but because it was sort of slow and meandering in the beginning, when he did work up to this kre shen dough, it has peeks and valleys to it. it had a power to it and people responded to it in this hall. >> it did. alex and i are looking at what we saw consistent coming out of this convention. and what's consistent you mentioned doing the leadership thing and what else is consistent is we have led your life. we understand your life better thanst son of a ceo.

and everybody is going through great pains to say that. >> the leadership theme i thought started yesterday with rahm emanuel saying look uncertain times. they echoed that again tonight. apartnerly there must be some research somewhere saying that mitt romney is vulnerable not on flip flopping, but on weak leadership. maybe that's something -- >> or that the president is vulnerable. >> there's something different about this from tampa. in tampa the message was that mitt romney understands you. and this one is much more about we. it's about the democratic party. there's a real message here we're on your side. we made all the progress, but we're the ones on your side. not those guys. >> a lot of folks here are taking credit tonight for ending the iraq war and getting us out of iraq. i think most republicans would say george bush advanced a surge that helped us get out of iraq,

which by the way barack obama opposed. and i think it takes some brass to take credit for something that you opposed. >> here's another point that joe biden kept referring to, which is this notion that america is not in decline, as republicans would charge. that in order to win they have to prove that america is in decline, he said that's not the case, don't bet against american people. >> let's check in with the white house correspondent. jessica, from other speeches, what did you think of tonight. >> there were some familiar themes i would have to agree with. it was much more of an attack speech than i was led to believe it would be. but wolf as we talked about before, this was intended to sort of clear all that if you will under brush a way so now the president can come out and be very forward looking positive above the from a himself. >> we're about to see a video

now of the president. i was surprised that the vice president brought up the bowles/simpson plan even though the president reject sd it. here's the video. ♪ ♪ >> we've been through a lot together. but we've known tough times before. what carries us through and helps us endure, what are the qualities so essential to us and the leaders who have occupied

this office? >> he did some things knowing they wouldn't be popular in the short run that would lay the foundation for recovery. >> no other country in the world would give up the capacity to manufacture cars. so he did what the government is supposed to do in a case like that. >> do not rescue the automobile industry. i mean, it was overwhelming. look at the polling number. >> a country in the midst of a financial crisis that no one really, you know, knew the depths of the challenges that were coming. i think, he, he had a sense. >> my grandparents came out of the depression. they knew what it was like for people not to have work. we all understand work is something more than just a paycheck. what gives you dignity, it gives you a sense of purpose. >> he said you guys got to work together and come up and everybody's got to have some skin in the game here. you've got to modernize the

automobile industry. >> everybody said that's never going to work. guess what? >> 80,000 more people working in the car business before we did before the restructure was passed. >> there are middle class jobs people can raise a family. >> we've gone from a economy that was shedding job to one that's consistently creating jobs at all sectors. every night he's up until 1:00, 2:00 o'clock in the morning and he reads the letters he gets from people all over america. they are, as he put it, some of the most informative pieces of material that he gets that keeps him grounded. and anyone who has kids knows that the truth, no matter what you do, your kids still think they are the most important people in the room. so we sit around the dinner table and he's the last person to be asked, how was your day, dad? you know, really he's an

afterthought. >> he never starts a conversation by saying what's the best political decision here. what will help us the most. never. >> so he wasn't going to back out just because it got hard. just because it didn't poll well. that's just never been who he is and it's certainly not how he will ever govern this country. >> when my mom got cancer she wasn't a wealthy woman and it pretty much drained all of her resources. >> watching your mother die from something that could have been prevented, that's a tough thing to deal with. >> the reason he pushed ahead knowing there could be horrible political consequences for him just as there were for me, is that health care costs had gone up three times the rate of inflation. this is a huge economic issue, because we spent 17.5% of our

income on health care. >> anybody who gets medical care, hundreds of thousands of dollars. imagine working class mom opening up that kind of bill. you know? with somebody sending that to her with a straight face. that understanding of that kind of realty for millions of americans drove him to make sure this legislation got passed. it takes a conscious effort to stay connected with what's going on in people's lives. >> this was a matter of principle for him. he ran on it. he said he was going to do it and he did it. >> you hire the president to make the calls when no one else can do it. he had to decide. that's one thing george bush said that was right. the president is the decider in

chief. >> we were only about 50% sure that bin laden was in that compound. but i had 100% confidence in our navy s.e.a.l.s. >> i sat in that room with him when we were getting feeds of what was going on at the time. he sat there concerned, just watching. got him. confirm it. just boom, boom, boom. then came and explained to everybody the next day in the cabinet room what happened. i mean, this is a guy who as i said, a backbone like a ram rod. >> good evening. tonight i can report to the american people and to the world -- >> he took the harder and the more honorable path, and the one that produced in my opinion the

best result. when i saw what had happened, i thought to myself, i hope that's the call i would have made. it was just the right thing to do. >> we have a long way to go. but with every new beginning, every homecoming, every step forward, we remember who we are. >> what's really allowing this economy to heal and get us moving again is the resilience and the strength and the character of the american people. they don't quit. they don't give up. partly because of family, partly because of a sense of community.

pride in this country. they keep going. that's the incredible gift the american people keep giving back to me in this job. [ applause ] >> thank you so much. tonight i am so thrilled and so honored and so proud to introduce the love of my life, the father of our two girls, and the president of the united states of america, barack obama.

[ applause ] ♪ ♪

>> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you so much. thank you. thank you so much. thank you. thank you very much, everybody. thank you. michelle, i love you so much. a few nights ago, everybody was reminded just what a lucky man i am.

malia and sasha, we are so proud of you. and yes, you do have to go to school in the morning. and joe biden, thank you for being the very best vice president i could have ever hoped for, and being a strong and loyal friend. madam chairwoman, delegates, i accept your nomination for president of the united states.

[ applause ] now, the first time i addressed this convention in 2004, i was a younger man. a senate candidate from illinois who spoke about hope. my blind optimism, not wishful thinking, but hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty. that dogged faith in the future that has pushed this nation forward even when the odds are great, even when the road is long. eight years later, that hope has

been tested. by the cost of war, by one of the worst economic crises in history. i know campaigns can seem small, even silly sometimes. trivial things become big distractions. serious issues become sound bytes. the truth gets buried under an avalanche of money and advertising. and if you're sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me, so am i. but when all is said and done, when you pick up that ballot to vote, you will face the clearest choice of any time in a generation. over the next few years, big

decisions will be made in washington on jobs, the economy, taxes and deficits, energy, education, war and peace. decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and our children's lives for decades to come. and on every issue, the choice you face won't just be between two candidates or two parties. it will be a choice between two different paths for america. a choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future. ours is a fight to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known. the values my grandfather defended as a soldier, the values that drove my grandmother

to work on an assembly line while he was gone. they knew they were part of something larger. a nation that triumphed over fascism and depregsz. a nation where the businesses turned out the best products and everyone shared in that pride from the corner office to the factory floor. my grandparents were a chance to go to college and buy their own home and fulfill the basic bargain at the heart of america's story. the promise that hard work will pay off and responsibility will be rewarded. that everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same rules from main street to wall street to washington, d.c. and i ran for president because i saw that basic bargain

slipping away. i began my career helping people in the shadow of a shuttered steel mill, at a time when too many good jobs were starting to move overseas. and by 2008 we had seen nearly a decade in which camlies struggled with costs that kept rising and paychecks that didn't. folks racking up more and more debt just to make the mortgage or pay tuition, put gas in the car or food on the table. and when the house of cards collapsed in the great recession, millions of americans lost their jobs, their homes, the life savings. a tragedy from which we're still fighting to recover. now, our friends down in tampa, at the republican convention were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with america. but they didn't have much to say about how they would make it right. they want your vote, but they don't want you to know their

plan. and that's because all they had to offer is the same prescriptions they've had for the last 30 years. have a surplus, try a tax cut. deficit too high, try another. feel a cold coming on? take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations and call us in the morning. [ applause ] now, i've cut taxes for those who need it. middle class families, small businesses. but i don't believe that another round of tax breaks for millionaires will bring good jobs to our shores.

i don't believe firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy or help us comeet with the scientists and engineers coming out of china. after all we've been through, i don't believe that rolling back regulations on wall street will help the small business woman expand or the laid off construction worker leave his home. we have been there. we are moving forward, america. [ applause ] now, i won't pretend the path i'm offering is quick or easy. i never have. you didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. you elected me to tell you the truth. and the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built

up over decades. it will require common effort and shared responsibility and the kind of bold, persistent that fravernlg lynn roosevelt pursued. and those of us who carry on his legacy should remember that not everything can be remedied with another government program or dictate from washington. but know this, america. our problems can be solved. our challenges can be met. the path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. and i'm asking you to choose that future. i'm asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country. goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security and the deficit. real, achievable plans that will lead to new jobs. more opportunity. and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. that's what we can do in the

next four years, and that is why i'm running for a second term as president of the united states. we can choose a future where we export more products and outsource fewer jobs. after a decade that was defined by what we bought and borrowed, we're getting back to basics and doing what america has always done best. we are making things again. i've met workers in detroit and toledo who feared they would never build another american car, and today they can't build them fast enough because we reinvented a dying auto industry

that's back on top of the world. i've worked with business leaders who are bringing jobs back to america. not because our workers make less pay, but because we make better products. but because we work harder and smarter than anyone else. i sign trade agreements that are helping our companies sell more goods to millions of customers. goods that are stamped with three proud words, made in america. and after a decade of decline, this country created over half a million manufacturing jobs in the last 2 1/2 years. and now you have a choice. we can give more tax breaks to

corporations that ship jobs overseas, or we can start rewarding companies that create new jobs here in the united states of america. we can help big factories and small businesses double their exports. and if we choose this path we can create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years. you can make that happen. you can choose that future. you can choose the path where we control more of our own energy. after 30 years of inaction, we raised fuel standards so that by the middle of the next decade, cars and trucks will go twice as far on a gallon of gas. we have doubled our use of renewable energy and thousands of americans have jobs today building wind turbines and long lasting batteries.

in the last year alone we cut oil imports more than any other administration in history. and today america is less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in the last two decades. so now you have a choice. between a strategy that reverses this progress or one that builds on it. we've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration in the last three years and we'll open more. but unlike my opponent, i will not let oil companies write this country's energy plan or endanger our coast line or collect another $4 billion in cooperate welfare from our taxpayers. we're offering a better path. we're offering a better path

where we -- a future where we keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal. where farmers and scientists harvest new power our cars and trucks. where construction workers build homes and factories that waste less energy. where we develop 100 years' supply of natural gas that's right beneath our feet. we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone. and yes, my plan will continue to reduce the carbon pollution that is heating our planet, because climate change is not a hoax. more droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. they are a threat to our children's future, and in this election, you can do something about it.

you can chose a future where more americans have the chance to gain the skills they need to compete. no matter how old they are or how much money they have. education was the gateway to opportunity for me. it was the gateway for michelle. it was the gateway for most of you. and now more than ever it is the gateway to a middle class life. for the first time in a generation, nearly every state has answered our call to raise their standards for teaching and learning. some of the worst schools in the country have made real gains in math and reading. millions of students are paying less for college today, because we finally took on a system that wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on banks and lenders. and now you have a choice.

we can gut education or we can decide that in the united states of america, no child should have her dreams deferred because of a crowded classroom or a crumbling school, no family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don't have the money. no company should have to look for workers overseas because they couldn't find any with the right skills here at home. that's not our future. that is not our future. a government has a role in this, but teachers must inspire. principals must lead. parents must instill a thirst for learning. and students, you've got to do the work. and together i promise you we can outeducate and out-compete any nation on earth.

so help me, help me recruit 100,000 math and science teachers within ten years and improve early childhood education. help give 2 million workers the chance to learn skills in their community college that will lead directly to a job. help us work with colleges and universities to cut in half the growth of tuition costs over the next ten years. we can meet that goal together. you can choose that future for america. that's our future. you know, in a world of new threats and new challenges, you can choose leadership that has been tested and proven. four years ago i promised to end the war in iraq. we did. i promised to refocus on the

terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11 and we have. we've blunted the taliban's momentum in afghanistan and in 2014, our longest war will be over. a new tower rises above the new york skyline. al qaeda is on the path to defeat and osama bin laden is dead. and tonight, we pay tribute to the americans who still serve in harm's way. we are forever in debt to a generation whose sacrifice has made this country safer and more respected. we will never forget you. and so long as i'm commander in

chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known. when you take off the uniform, we will serve you as well as you've served us, because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job or a roof over their heads or the care that they need when they come home. around the world we've strengthened old alliances and forged new coalitions to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. we've stood up to china on behalf of our workers. from burma to libya, we have advanced the rights of all human beings. men and women, christians,

muslims and jews. terrorist plots must be disrupted, our security to israel must not waiver and neither must our pursuit of pees. the historic chain sweeping across the arab world must be not defined by the fifth of an iron dictator but by the hopes a by people who are reaching for the same rights that we celebrate here today. so now we have a choice. my opponent and his running mate are new to foreign policy. but from all that we've seen and heard, they want to take us back to an era of blustering and blundering that cost america so

dearly. after all, you don't call russia our number one enemy, not al qaeda, russia, unless you're still stuck in a cold war mind warp. you might not be ready for diplomacy with beijing if you can't visit the olympics without insulting our closest ally. my opponent, my opponent said that it was tragic to end the war in iraq. and he won't tell us how he'll end the war in afghanistan. well, i have and i will. and while my opponent would spend more money some military hardware that our joint chiefs don't even want, i will use the money we're no longer spending on war to pay down our debt and

put more people back to work, rebuilding roads and bridges and schools and runways, because after two wars, that have cost us thousands of lives and over a trillion dollars, it's time to do some nation building right here at home. you can choose a future where we reduce our deficit without sticking it to the middle class. independent experts say that my plan would cut our deficit by $4 trillion. and last summer i worked with republicans in congress to cut a billion in spending because those of us who believe government should be a force for good should work harder than anyone to reform it so it's leaner and more efficient and more responsive to the american

people. i want to reform the tax code so that simple, fair and ask the wealthiest households to pay tax on over $250,000. the same rate when bill clinton was president. the same rate when we had when our economy created 23 million new jobs. the biggest surplus in history and a whole lot of millionaires to boot. i'm still eager to preach an agreement. no party has an monopoly on wisdom. no democracy works without compromise. i want to get this done and we can get it done. but when governor romney and his friends in congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficits by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy, well, what did bill clinton call it? you do the arithmetic. you do the math.

i refuse to go along with that. and as long as i'm president, i never will. i refuse to ask middle class families to give up their deductions for owning a home or raising their kids just to pay for another millionaire's tax cuts. i refuse to kick children out of kick start to eliminate health insurance for americans so the those with the most can pay less. i'm not going along with that. and i will never -- i will never turn medicare into a voucher.

no american should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies. they should retire with the care and the dignity that they have earned. yes, we will reform and strengthen medicare for the long hall, but we'll do it by reducing the cost of health care. not by asking seniors to pay thousands of dollars more. and we will keep the promise of social security by taking the responsible steps to strengthen it. not by turning it over to wall street. this is the choice we now face. this is what the election comes down to. over and over we've been told by our opponents that bigger tax cuts and fewer regulations are the only way, that since

government can do everything, it should do almost nothing. if you can't afford health insurance, hope that you don't get sick. if a company releases toxic pollution into the air, your children breathe, well, that's the price of progress. if you can't afford to start a business or go to college, take my opponent's advice and borrow money from your parents. you know what? that's not who we are. that's not what this country is about. as americans, we believe we are endowed by our creator with certain inalable rights that no man or government can take away. we insist on personal responsibility and we celebrate individual initiative. we're not entitled to success. we have to earn it. we honor the strivers, the

dreamers, the risk takers. the entrepreneurs who have been the driving force behind our system, we also believe in something called citizenship. citizenship. a word at the very hard of our founding. a word at the very essence of our democracy. the idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another. and future generations. we believe that when a ceo pays his auto workers enough to buy the cars that they build, the whole company does better. we believe that when a family can no longer be tricked into signing a mortgage they can't afford, that family is protected but so is the value of other people's homes. and so is the entire economy.

we believe the little girl who's offered an escape from poverty by a great teacher or a grant for college could become the next steve jobs or a scientist who cures cancer or the president of the united states and it is in our power to give her that chance. we know that churches and charities can often make more of a difference than a poverty program alone. we don't want handouts for people who refuse to help themselves and we certainly don't want bailouts for banks that break the rules. we don't think the government can solve all of our problems, but we don't think that the government is the source of all of our problems.

any more than our welfare recipients or corporations or unions or immigrants or gays or any other group we're told to blame for our troubles. because america, we understand that this democracy is ours. we the people, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights. that our destinies are bound together. that a freedom which asks only what's in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism is worthy of our founding ideals and those who died in their

defense. as citizens, we understand that america is not about what can be done for us. it's about what can be done by us. together. through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self government. that's what we believe. so you see, the election four years ago wasn't about me. it was about you. my fellow citizens, you were the change. you're the reason there is a little girl with a heart disorder in phoenix who will get the surgery she needs because an insurance company can't limit her coverage. you did that.

you're the reason a young man in colorado who never thought he would be able to afford his dream of earning a medical degree is about to get that chance. you made that possible. you're the reason a young immigrant who grew up here and went to school here and pledged allegiance to our flag will no longer be deported from the only country she's ever called home. why selfless soldiers won't be kicked out because of who they love. while families will be able to say to the loved ones who served us so bravely, welcome home. welcome home. you did that. you did that. you did that. if you turn away now, if you turn away now, if you buy into

the cynicism that the change we fought for isn't possible, well, change will not happen. if you give up on the idea that your voice can make a difference, then other voices will fill the void. the lobbyists and special interests, the people with the $10 million checks who are trying to buy this election and those who are trying to make it harder for you to vote. washington politicians trying to decide who you should mary or politicians trying to control health care decisions that women should be making for themselves. only you can make sure that doesn't happen. only you have the power to move us forward. you know, i recognize that times

have changed since i first spoke to this convention. times have changed and so have i. i'm not longer just a candidate. i'm the president. and that -- and that means i know what it means to send young americans into battle. for i've held in my arms, mothers and fathers of those who didn't return. i've shared the pain of families who have lost their homes and the frustration of workers who have lost their jobs.

if the critics are right that i've made all my decisions based on polls, then i must not be very good at reading them. and while i'm very proud of what we've achieved together, i'm far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what lincoln meant when he said i have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that i had no place else to go. but as i stand here tonight, i have never been more hopeful about america. not because i think i have all the answers, not because i'm naive about the magnitude of our challenges. i'm hopeful because of you. the young woman i met at a science fair who won national

recognition for her biology research while living with her family at a homeless shelter, she gives me hope. the auto worker who won the lottery after his plant almost closed but kept coming to work every day. and bought flags for his whole town. and one of the cars that he built to surprise his wife. he gives me hope. the family business in minnesota that didn't lay off a single one of their 4,000 employees when the recession hit even when their competitors shut down plants. even when it meant the owner gave up perks and pay. because they understood that their biggest asset was the community and the workers who had helped build that business. they give me hope.

i think about the young sailor i met at walter reed hospital still recovering from a grenade attack that will cause him to have his leg amputated above the knee. six months ago we watched him in the white house. tall, 20 pounds heavier, with a big grin on his face, sturdy on his new legs and i remember how a few months after that i would watch him on a bicycle. inspiring other heros who had just begun the hard path he had traveled. he gives me hope. he gives me hope. i don't know what party these

men and women belong to. i don't know if they'll vote for me. but i know that their spirit defines us. they remind me in the words of scripture that ours is a future filled with hope. and if you share that faith with me, if you share that hope with me, i ask you tonight for your vote. if you reject the notion that this nation's promise is reserved for the few, your voice must be heard in this election. if you reject the notion that our government is forever beholden to the highest bidder, you need to stand up in this election. if you believe that new plants and factories can dot our landscape, that new energy can power our future, that new schools can provide ladders of opportunity to this nation of

dreamers, if you believe in a country where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same rules, then i need you to vote this november. america, i never said this journey would be easy, and i won't promise that now. yes, our path is harder. but it leads to a better place. yes, our road is longer, but we travel it together. we don't turn back. we leave no one behind. we pull each other up. we draw strength from our victories and we learn from our mistakes. but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon knowing that providence is with us and that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on earth.

thank you. god bless you. and god bless these united states. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ >> the president of the united states, showing clearly the advantage of going second. he had the opportunity to respond in detail to so many of the critical points made by mitt romney and paul ryan last week in tampa and the president also wanted to differentiate his philosophy, his vision, his

outline for where the united states is right now and where it is heading. it was clearly an effort to respond to all of the criticism that the democrats and the obama administration and the president and the vice president took last week. the president was clearly making a point that mitt romney didn't mention the men and women of the military last week. didn't mention the sacrifices paid by the troops last week at a speech in tampa. that's why so much of the president's comments today thanked the u.s. men and women of the u.s. military for what they have done, a clear differentiation of what was said. there will be many points in the president's speech that will now be debated, but for now he has done exactly what he and his advisers wanted to do, set the stage for two complete different visions, domestic policy and national security between himself and mitt romney. candy crowley is on the podium. >> i think in this speech we saw

two things. one was i need more time. and the other was what we have been told from the very beginning of this campaign, almost 18 months ago. i think i recall talking to obama political advisers and they were talking about choice. they don't want it to be a referendum on the last four years, which even the president says are incomplete on the economy and other things. they want this to be a choice. i thought this was tougher on mitt romney then we were led to believe. i think this was less specific, but it got back to their core message. i need more time and the choice you have is very clear. wolf? anderson, sorry. >> as we watch what's going on. the celebration is only just beginning here at the time warner cable arena. but the folks obviously at least inside this building, and i suspect around the country were thrilled by what the president has to say.

he clearly still has that skill that he's had over these many years. >> it certainly wasn't a speech full of rhetoric like some of his speeches four years ago. some of it comparing sort of to a state of the union almost in terms of going down a checklist. james carville what did you think? >> i thought the democrats had a very good convention here. and the level of oratory was very high. but what i'm struck by is the muscular tone and attitude in both the vice president and president tonight. this is not the mommy party on show here, this is the daddy party. they really wanted to get that across and i think to some extent they were successful. i thought he was pretty good when he was talking about education, a very good speech. but some of the speeches here were some of the best convention speeches i've heard anyway. >> i thought it really change, very good convention for

democrats, a very strong speech. there's been an arc in speeches at conventions. he started out eight years ago in boston and he was magical and then he came to denver and i thought he was compelling as a candidate. tonight he was presidential. and it's a different aura, it's a more dignified speech, but he's scarred, he's more mature and he's not promising as much. there is very little here in the way of promises about jobs in terms of where we're going on this, how much we're going to get the deficit down quickly. i thought he lowered the bar in terms of what he was trying to achieve. but i did think he was very presidential. he's moved from hope and change to hope and faith. >> at one point he even said i am a different person. i'm not just a candidate. i am president. >> save for the portion at the end where i thought he spoke movingly this is about you, it was a page out of ronald reagan's state of the unions where he identified with individuals' struggles. i thought it was the same old,

same old. the same promises that this kinetictory has heard. i think it's a hit and miss. too many things that americans were looking for and didn't receive, a string of promises, none of which came true. he also didn't talk about obama care, he didn't talk about the stimulus, he didn't talk about the cap and trade. it is as if he didn't want to talk about 2009, '10 or '11. >> i think that's what bill clinton did so he didn't have to. i thought this was a die fines speech at every single level. taking on mitt romney by the way on foreign policy by saying they're new at this and i'm the experienced person on foreign policy. i was interesting this entire evening to see how much osama bin laden we were talking about here. one other thing because this whole election in some way or another is about the roll of government. i think he had an interesting line here that was geared

towards the independent voters. we don't think government can solve all our problems, but we don't think government is the source of all of our problems either. i think those are the voters he was talking to when he said that. >> i think a very smart, well-crafted speech, ari has a good point will people listen to him? is he a credible messenger after four tough years in office. he wanted to say this is your fight, too. you're in this struggle with me. by acknowledging his failings and his mistakes. the critics say he's arrogant and doesn't get you. i think that was a smart move. he did not say a lot new here. i think he will be lucky that there was a lot new at the republican convention either and because mitt romney did not make a clear break from bush, he did not make a clear break from past republican or docksy it gives the president a chance to make a stronger case. we just had a three-day

convention for a 50-state nation that was about two states. michigan and ohio. because if the president can keep those, it is almost impossible for mitt romney to win the white house. >> anderson, there's one sense that does get into the issue of what he promised tonight. it was a stern sentiment but i think it's evocative of the problems eve had over the last four years. when you take off the uniform we will serve you as well as you fight us because no one in this country should have to fight for a job or the roof over our head. is he promising the veterans housing? is he promising jobs? this is part of the false hope where he makes these statements similar to the plant in ohio where plants like this should stay open for 100 years. he did it tonight for the veterans. i wish it was true, but it's the false hope. >> you know, the jamesville thing has been fact checked a hundred times.

i'm going to tell you this was one very good convention that the democrats had. you can't just walk away and said that bill clinton set this thing up in a way that couldn't be. again, i was struck, again, by how muscular and how in their face these democrats were. these are not the democratic party that i sort of grew up with. this is a different kind of attitude they have coming out here. it wasn't kerry, it wasn't a lot of that. >> i think that's right. and especially on the social issues. i think the republicans varied left open, they keep pushing women's health issues, women's choice. i want to go back to clinton's speech last night. he gave his speech as a politician and it was a fabulous speech. i think it was the best speech of the convention. but he didn't have the burdens of office and barack obama comes here tonight with the burden of office, not having zlifrd and he

had to be graver. he had to give a different kind of speech. >> he had to be president. >> it was also interesting because he was very strong in the parts where he said here's what i won't do if you re-elect me. for those two states you're talking about. i won't give up on the middle class, i'm not going to give tax cuts to the wealthy. so middle class families have to give up their deductions. >> he did give a nod to bowles/simpson. >> people will criticize him for that. paul ryan was on the commission, he voted no he said he had his reasons. there will be people in both parties who say wait a minute, a little bit of hypocrisy, where were you when it was issued. one other thing that struck me. i lost count in the videos about how much we heard about osama bin laden.

and i messaged the senior person in the campaign, i thought it was about the economy. and they said it was important to stress the foreign policy skills. they said it was more important because they wanted to make one word, tough. tough. and connect it to the economic struckles that he's tough and he's fighting. will it work? i don't know. but i was struck that in every video and every speech. >> i think it goes to the point which is leadership. foreign policy. >> wolf blitzer. >> one of the things that's interesting is when you go last after all these other democrats, the former president of the united states, joe biden, so many others, you inevitably are going to repeat many of the themes that these people have already heard. it's one of the disadvantages of going last to be sure as well. let's get some reaction, we're getting reaction from delegates on the floor as well. >> reporter: i'm hear with the

governor of maryland, and we're getting some reaction from him to the speech. but i just also wanted to ask you, you said on monday that we're not better off than we were four years ago, as you're taking a picture here. i know that you -- hold on. i know that you backed away from that, but we heard vice president biden tonight and bill clinton yesterday say that we are better than we were four years ago. >> of course we're better off than we were four years ago, because our country is creating jobs again. this recession was very deep, but we have not recovered all we lost in the bush recession but we're moving forward and not back. and i totally agree with that. the we're better as a country when we're creating jobs and that's what we're doing now. look, these guys are going to cut and splice any words that anybody says that, but they cannot detract from the fact our country is creating jobs and not

losing them and i totally agree with that and always have. as you know from seeing the hundred other interviews i have done. >> i guess my point is i think some people looked at your comments and thought there was an acknowledgement of just realty of how tough things are. are you afraid that democrats are walking away from charlotte overconfident if a lot of americans disagree with what we've heard about the four years being better? >> i think in all onsti. our country is doing better and when our country is doing better, we all do better. but we also have to acknowledge the hard and serious truth that we have not yet recovered all we lost in the bush recession and that's what i believe. i think that's what every economist believes. we haven't recovered every job we lost in the bush recession but we're clearly moving forward not back, we're creating jobs rather than losing them. unemployment is down tgm is alive and hiring. we're making progress. we still have a lot more work to

do and that's what this convention was about. i was so proud of my party and proud of my country during these three days. our best days in life as americans aren't the easy days, they're the hard days when they acknowledge the fact that many of us are still suffering and still looking for work and we recommit ourselves to expanding opportunity. wolf and anderson, back to you. >> there will be a reality check 8:30 a.m. eastern. let's go to soledad o'brien. where are you? >> i'm standing up near the california delegation and the massachusetts delegation. we're talking to congressman enough specifics do you think for those who are ub decided to sway toward the president? >> i think for the purpose of a

acceptance nomination speech, absolutely. the president has a clear purpose here. make sure you understand there's a difference between mitt romney and barack obama. i believe he planted the flag, showed us that he's going to talk about we moving together, not we moving separately. it's a distinction between the republican message and the democratic message. the vice president made that very clear also. >> the republicans have taken hope and change and said where is the hope and where is the change and come back on that theme a lot. tonight we heard the president say you're the change and sort of turn it back to the people. good strategy? >> not only good strategy, but he's also said you've given me the hope to believe that our better days are still ahead of us. because that soldier that today is walking with that prosthetic and moving forward, that child who today survives because she has access to good health care

as a result of the affordable care act, that senior who today still has medicare guaranteed, all those people have hope. and i believe the president is saying very clearly to america, you get to choose. november 6th is very important. because there are two paths we can take. one where it is we and one where it is just one. >> when you were speaking earlier to that, you spoke about the american dream. do you think latinos will be swayed enough to vote in the large numbers that the president needs in november. >> it's something very important. on this convention floor, democrats had the courage to say what we really believe about immigrants. we put immigrants on that stage. we put some on the stage that the republicans would rather deport. the republicans are not willing to talk clearly about immigration and immigration reform. we are ready to tell america, another generation is going to build us up.

let's applaud what they do. let's bring them on up. >> appreciate you talking to us. >> thank you. >> kate ask on the floor as well. >> i'm in the pennsylvania delegation. i want to get your reaction to the speech, but specifically, you know that democrats criticize governor romney in tampa for not offering anything new, not offering detail. we heard goals from the president tonight, but do you think there's enough trust out there in him that he can deliver on those goals after four tough years. >> i think americans all over are wondering our government regardless of who is in control can deliver on those goals. after this election, we're going to have to act as americans. not republicans, not democrats. we're going to have to work together and meet some of these challenges. he laid out some of his plans, the plan to reduce the deficit

by $4 trillion. it's a good plan, it's a plan that should have been enacted a year and a half ago. the plan to improve the economy, if that bill had been adopted, we would have a million or a million and a half new jobs created in america. although he wasn't as specific as he could have been, he sounded a great theme and that's america works best when we all take care of each other. it's why i'm proud to be an american and i'm proud to be a democrat. >> did he do enough to lock in the independents? >> i think bill clinton made that case last night. if you're a voter who cares about which direction the country is going, i think bill clinton laid out a terrific case allowing president obama, there were some heroic themes about the value of education, about giving the kids the

opportunities. i became a democrat because i think we're the party of opportunity. i think president obama inspired the base, i think as the campaign rolls out, everyone who is leaving this hall today is proud to be a democrat. >> thank you for your time. wolf, as he said, the campaign continues. >> it certainly does. going on to the next chapter now, jessica, i thought there would be more specifics. there were a lot of goals expressed, jen ralties. a lot of stuff we heard before. i didn't hear any specific new initiative that the president unveiled, did you? >> i think they released the specifics to us in the press and the media and i think they expect us to talk about them tomorrow. there are three new details he'll talk about, goals.

what i was struck in the speech was a logic puzzle he solved. he had promised change four years ago, if people feel he hasn't delivered on that, how does he explain it. the turn he made in the speech was he said you are the change. and if you don't stay with me, you're not believing in yourself in a sense. believe in yourself, recommit to what you committed to four years ago. and that was a way to reengage those supporters who might be feeling disaffected. >> he was really robust in his criticism of mitt romney and paul ryan. >> i think he was drawing a distinction. if i can make one other point. we made a point about veterans and that the president was making an empty promise on veterans. the president has pushed for two initiatives, a tax credit for employers who hire veterans who have been out of work.

it was part of the jobs bill and also he took executive action to protect veterans who have been wrongfully foreclosed on while they were overseas. >> the democrats went out of their way to praise the u.s. men and women in the military. >> let's look at the map and where the race is now. >> obviously you have big strategic goal. there's a big arc, but there's also a tactical thing. how many people in this convention talked about the auto bailout. almost everyone. what states? michigan and ohio. dark blue is solid for the president, light blue leaning for the president, dark red solid for governor romney. the president has about 237 right now, you need 270 to win. michigan we have leaning

democratic. the republican super pacs that were advertising in michigan. the campaign says it will fight but the republicans are less and less optimistic about michigan. what would happen if the president keeps michigan and wins the state of ohio? all that attention there. turning that blue, look what that gets the president. if nothing else changed on the map, count the rest. eight of the toss-ups. governor romney would have to win five or six of the remaining eight states. let's assume for the sake of argument he won florida. that's 29. now you're looking at tougher terrain but let's say he wins this state north carolina. the president won it last time. he's getting in contention here. the president hasn't have to fight in this dynamic. he would be competing in all these states, but he doesn't have to fight in all of them. if the president could hold nevada and make it blue, it puts him on the doorstep.

governor romney has to run the board of what's left. he would have to win virginia, he would have to win wis. the democrats think if they're winning ohio, they're also winning wisconsin. then you're in a battle ground where governor romney would have to win the rest of them. new hampshire would leave him just shy. point being, if the president can take ohio, it makes governor romney's math not impossible, but almost impossible. i'll give up on this one, i'm going to invest here. if this is blue, if that's blue. if the president can keep this blue, not impossible for governor romney, but almost. >> so a lot of trips to ohio no doubt and michigan as well in the weeks ahead. >> right now, romney was born in michigan. remember that. he thinks he can win michigan. but they're not spending money there right now. and david axelrod has said from

the very beginning that if this comes into play and that's 16 votes, they say they'll go in there and bombard the state with adds. mitt romney opposed the auto bailouts. i just want to take these states back. these are our tossups right now. ohio is among them, wisconsin, iowa is among them. go back here. that one is not. sorry. this one is. this is where we are right now. and the president already has an easier -- not easy, but easier path to 270. the and this state if that one goes blue, you don't want to go to vegas and bet that you've got to win. it's just near impossible math and that is the goal of this convention. the goal of this convention is to make governor romney's math which is already hard, harder still. >> does anybody have a question for john here? >> i mean, i guess, you know, my

question would be so the romney people have to win back everything that president obama, the traditionally red states that president obama won in 2008. then they've got to win the real battle grounds of florida and ohio, and then they've got wild cards. >> if you look at it from the republican perspective. 3-2-1. i'm going to put ohio back as a tossup state. the three most republican states by historical dna that president obama won. they are indiana, they are north carolina and they are virginia. those are the three. governor romney has to start by picking up the three. then there's the big two. florida and ohio. if governor romney can do that, then you see 266, you need 270. then he only needs one more of the remaining states. but that calculation includes ohio. if you take ohio away, he's ahead of the president in this scenario, but the president --

these are all more democratic leaning states. this gets much tougher here. much, much tougher here if this state goes blue, the math for governor romney -- -- here's the way to look at it. if t the democrats are winning ohio, why aren't they winning iowa. because that is a more republican state traditionally than this state. and you could make the argument that paul ryan complicates it some. if the democrats are winning ohio, then why aren't they winning wisconsin. no republican has woven the presidency without that state in modern times. that that's. >> i wanted to throw it out and let's discuss it for a second. if you're bowles or simpson, listens to these two conventions you've got to be scratching your head and saying to yourself what

is going on? paul ryan, the republican vice presidential nominee and complains that they rejected. joe biden, he raises the whole issue of simpson bowles in his remarks even though the president didn't accept the recommendations, and now the president in his remarks and he says now i'm still eager to reach an agreement based on the principles of my bipartisan debt commission. so the question is why didn't he accept those recommendations to begin with a year or so ago whenever that was instead of saying now he's ready to work and except those recommendati s recommendations. >> he was asked a governing question in a political year. i think frankly when the president took that bus trip

beginning in august of last year, that as when he made the decision that he was going to focus on the campaign. congress gave up at that point. we've been in campaign mode. >> one thing i didn't hear in the president's speech is any kind of sense of hope about overcoming the grid lock that bill clinton spoke about the other night. because that's also what the swing voters want. when you talk about simpson/bowles, et cetera, it's being used as a political football and nobody has embraced it. >> they have to say nice things about it for the independence -- independents out there. both party think it is a base election where you need every one of yours to turn out. >> they're rallying around simpson-bowles because it's one of the most popular ideas around the country.

but frankly both sides are dancing. neither one is really willing to make the tough calls about what it would take to do sim sorn/bowles. what he said was in addition to saying i like the principles, he also said think of all the money that we're going to save from not fighting these wars and i want to invest it. >> nation building here at home. >> that's a lot more spending. >> the answer that people give is that he was advised not to embrace it because if he did it would get no republican support. and in fact, the deal that he had made with boehner was less favorable to democrats than simpson bowles itself. there's not a democrat that i know that doesn't think the president is going to negotiate -- >> i want to check in with candy. >> probably something you might expect but this actually comes from the romney campaign manager, who says tonight

president obama laid out the choice in this election making the case for more of the same policies that haven't worked for the past four years. he offered more promises but he hasn't kept the promises he made four years ago. americans will hold president obama accountable for his record. they know they're not better off and that it's time to change direction. mitt romney and paul ryan will restore america's promise and deliver a better future for our country. so going back 18 months, you can see where republicans and democrats were going so many months ago and that is this president wants it to be about a choice, it's either going back and or going forward. old bush policies or mine. and republicans want it to be on the president's record. >> the democratic national convention came to a rous can and emotional end today. i want to go back to candy for a second. a lot of our viewers are aware that the next major events now

that these conventions are over with, three presidential debates in october and one, one vice presidential debate in october. you will be moderating one of those debates. i wonder if you want to give us a little thought what's going through your mind right now as you start preparing for your role as a moderator. >> i think what we've talked about here, which is fine, but what are the specifics? i think for both of them. you can look at these conventions and they gave sort of broad outlines. but for president obama, what's new about the next four years. for mitt romney, how exactly would you do tax reform? how exactly would you reform medicare, not paul ryan's plan, well, what is your plan. i think there's a lot of specifics they keep talking about the differences they can make in people's lives.

every day, middle class americans. well, those differences are things like what sort of deductions are you still going to get? what will i have for my health care. how much is the debt going to be if we do x, y and z. so the debates begin to clarify the details insofar as you can get them without having an actual bill. but it begins to clarify from the first, second and third debates exactly what either of these two candidates will do that directly affects the lives of americans. because that's what people vote on. >> yeah. and as important as these two conventions are, they are really important. those debates i suspect will be even more important in making sure that those still undecided voters or switchable voters make up their mind. let's take a look at some of the highlights of what president obama just said. before we do that, i want to remind our viewers we do have a focus group that's ready to give

us some analysis, independents, undecide the voters. but let's go to some highlights. >> i recognize that times have changed since i first spoke to this convention. times have changed and so have i. i'm no longer just a candidate. i'm the president. and that, and then, and that means i know what it means to send young americans into battle, for i've held in my arms the mothers and fathers of those

who didn't return. i've shared the pain of families who have lost their homes and the frustration of workers who have lost their jobs. if the critics are right that i've made all my decisions based on polls, then i must not be very good at reading them. and while i'm very proud of what we've achieved together, i'm far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what lincoln meant when he said i have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that i had no place else to go. as i stand here tonight, i have never been more hopeful about america. not because i think i have all the answers. not because i'm naive about the magnitude of our challenges.

i'm hopeful because of you. >> let's go to erin burn et for a reality check. >> it was more here's the prom cyst i'm making for the future he was trying to come up with specifics and one of them you may have heard was manufacturing. the president said i'm going to create 1 million manufacturing jobs by the end of 2016. we looked into that. i think the verdict on this one is maybe. obviously the president has lost manufacturing jobs during his term, but over the past couple of years has gained about 5 500,000. so that could be achievable in the next four years. doubli doubli doubling exports, i'm going to give this one a yes.

he needs to get another 50% increased. that is possible unless things really fall apart in europe or china. energy, he had some promises there and some very specific ones and i wanted to hit this one specifically. he said i'm going to cut net oil imports in half by 2020. now this everybody is completely achievable. did you know that american oil production is up 25% since 2008. we have a lot of oil in this country, a lot of natural gas and some people say raymond james, an investment firm, we will have zero oil imports in the united states of america by 2020. so he should be able to cut it in half. this is going to be a brown energy boon, not a green one. he also said 600,000 natural gas jobs will be created, shale gas. that is a yes. this one i find more dubious.

he says he's going to end wars and the money will go to paying down the debt. we spent $115 billion last year on the war in afghanistan and the residual of what we're dealing with in iraq. the problem is this is not $115 billion, if you're not spending. this is money we're borrowing already. so that seems to be off in terms of the way he phrased his rhetoric there. and the last thing i wanted to highlight, cut the deficit by $4 trillion. a key promise. 4 trillion of course is the same number of simpson bowles. and as you pointed out, wolf, the president did not support simpson/bowles. he didn't support the recommendations neither did paul ryan. both of them have mentioned it and both came up with their own plans. part of the reason the president did not support it was it did things like increase the medicare or medicaid co-pay, it wanted to cut tax rates.

and it also would get rid of a lot of the mortgage interest deduction. these things are politically hard to handle but obviously everyone knows some combination need to be done. we probably need to do even more. >> we'll see what the jobs number is tomorrow morning. >> yes. >> in this political season, erin good work, thank you. our focus group listened closely and rated it in real time. the women had a much different reaction than the men did. er w er. >> i know campaigns can seem small, even silly sometimes. trivial things become big distractions. the truth gets buried under an avalanche of money and advertising. if you're sick of hearing me

approve this message, believe me, so am i. great shot.

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>> all they have to offer is the same prescriptions they've had for the last 30 years. have a surplus, try a tax cut. deficit too high. try another.

feel a cold coming on? take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations and call us in the morning. >> president obama from earlier tonight. just as we did during the republican convention, cnn assembled a group of undecided voters to watch the speech. tonight's group is made up of north carolina voters. tom foreman has been over monitoring their reactions. >> as our focus group sat here using these dial testing devices to record every moment about their thoughts of this speech, it was fascinating to see the reaction from all of you compared to the people in the hall. and i want to back up here and first of all have you all raise your hands if you came into tonight truly undecided. let's take a look at the group here. basically everyone is undecided. the question is, did president obama make them more decided? well, look at the reaction when he said one of his signature

lines. something the party has been pushing for two days here about moving forward, not back. >> after all we've been through, i don't believe that rolling back regulations on wall street will help the small business woman expand or the laid off construction worker keep his home. we have been there. we 'tried that. we are not going back. we are moving forward, america. >> the people in the hall just loved that. people here, not so much. why do you think? why do you think that whole idea of we're going to keep moving forward and not moving back didn't resonate more here. >> i'm not sure i believe all the things that he said about going forward and not going backward. i'm not convinced. >> what about you? >> i was convinced. i believe him. >> so you would have been one of the people helping push the dials up. >> why do you believe him when you don't?

>> because i think he's sincere and honest. >> let me ask some of the men in here. what did you think when you heard all of that? the men by and large seemed more skeptical than the women. >> i think he was sincere but i don't believe him. i think he wants to move everybody forward but i think he still lives in the past. they're still blaming bush and that was four years ago. >> one of the things i'm curious is when i watch your reactions i couldn't help but wonder if some of you felt like you just heard all this before, good, bad or otherwise, you've heard it a lot and people seem almost fatigued a little bit. did you like it? >> i'm quite sleepy. i think the statement gets lost. perhaps it's not flashy or what not. i agree with the statement, but there's so much else going on in the speech. >> let's take a look at one other quick section here. one of the biggest, earliest spikes here came when he talked

about energy independence. look at what happened when he talked about gas prices. >> in the last year alone we cut oil imports by 1 million barrels a day. more than any administration in recent history. and today the united states of america is less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in the last two decades. >> he talked about less dependence on foreign oil. as a group here you liked it. who here liked that statement? >> i like hearing how they're going to lower gas prices. right now americans are suffering with gas at just under $4 a gallon and we need to find ways around that rather than putting wind mills on every corner. that's not lowering gas prices. >> there seemed to be a real emphasis here for a lot of you on pocketbook issues. for all the great talk, whenever he talked about actually,

practical pocketbook issues, people liked it better. were you one of those people? >> yes. >> and why does that matter so much? >> because i think we're all concerned about our pocketbook and where the spending is at. >> it's one of those things you have to deal with. fascinating to watch the reaction from our group here as they watched this speech. we'll get to look at other things as the evening moves on. >> tom, thanks very much. wolf and candy has joined us here. van as well. what did you think of the speech? >> well, first of all this was not a normal convention. this was more like a revival and it was a revival for a reason. this party needed a revival. people came to the city depressed, discouraged somewhat afraid and we spent three days getting inspired. the speech in that context is kind of like the bishop coming out. all the young preachers have done the best they can do, the bishop comes out and cons crates what came bra.

the branding that they're going for. they're trying to combine two things. on the one side it's the compassion, the cooperation, but then this combativeness, this competitiveness and you haven't seen both together. i think the president was in line with that strategy. >> david you were talking about that earlier. >> i think he is taking a different tone into his second term if he wins that, and that is, as he said in jessica's documentary for cnn, i work the republicans when i can but if they won't work with me, i'm going to run them and that is a very different view that he brought into the first term and i think he brought that to the speech tonight. >> you'll be interested in this, too because i know your passion. last week mitt romney in tampa said this president threw israel under the bus, flatly. yet at this time we were all talking about the platform in

jerusalem. today the president says in his speech our commitment to israel's security must not waiver and neither must our pursuit of peace. do you think that was add td as a result of all the commotion? >> i can't tell you whether it was or wasn't. i don't think it matters. the issue here is if our commitment can't waiver, why has it wavered. that's the vulnerability. the jewish vote will still go democratic, but the republicans making inroads could be big in florida and ohio. you heard that undecided voters talk about -- he's sincere but i don't believe him. here's something else the president said. i won't pretend the path i'm offering was quick or easy. i never have. he did say it would be quick. he told us the deficit would be cut in half in his first term. he told us that unemployment would not break 8% and it would be --

>> also from the earliest days that he took the white house, he was saying how difficult the road ahead was going to be. >> i think one thing that's important to remember, the package he passed was never called a stimulus package, it was called a recovery act because we were going to be in a long period of trying to build back. we also got much worse data once he got into office. i think it's important to recognize as we go forward, we're going to see this party coming back now much more confident with much more courage and confidence in its own ideas. there was an unapologetic defense of liberal values here. pride and its ideas that's going to fire the base up. >> let me go back to your question on israel. i sense through all the speeches tonight that the democrats, especially the president, are speaking with much more authority and confidence about foreign policy than they are about the domestic accomplishments. there was a line that biden or

maybe kerry came in afterwards about how firm we've been. >> schultz was part of a moment tonight. >> we also like you to take part in our coverage of this democratic national convention. you can log on to facebook.com/c facebook.com/cnnpolitics. answer this question. who gave the best speech at the convention. we'll have your answers in a little bit. [ male announcer ] the perfect photo... [ man ] nice! [ male announcer ] isn't always the one you plan to take. whoa, check it out. hey baby goat... no that's not yours...

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